Israeli court rules ultra-Orthodox men must serve in military

Israeli’s high court ruled Tuesday that ultra-Orthodox men must be drafted for compulsory military service, a major shift that could break up Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

For decades, ultra-Orthodox men in Israel have been exempt from laws requiring all Jewish Israelis to perform military service. Critics said the laws discriminated against the rest of the country’s population, which is otherwise required to conduct at least two years of military service, usually starting at age 18.

“In the midst of a grueling war, the burden of inequality is harsher than ever and demands a solution,” Supreme Court Justice Uzi Vogelman wrote, referring to the country’s war against Hamas in Gaza and a simmering conflict with Hezbollah, which is based in Lebanon.

The exemptions for ultra-Orthodox Jews were first struck down in 2017, but the rulings have been stuck in legal and regulatory limbo since, with delays spurred on by Netanyahu’s ruling government that is supported by ultra-Orthodox factions.

Most Israeli Jewish men are generally required to serve in the military for three years, and women two years, in addition to reserve military service until the age of 40.

The exceptions have divided the Israeli public and have become especially controversial since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war last year. More than 600 Israeli soldiers have been killed since Hamas's Oct. 7 attack, with the military saying it needs all the manpower it can get to defeat the militant group.

Ultra-Orthodox groups argue that their full-time religious work counts for their contributions toward the state. 

Change to the policy has been strongly opposed by ultra-Orthodox political parties, which form a key part of Netanyahu’s coalition. It is possible that the parties could leave the coalition over the exemption change, leading to a collapse of government and new elections.

Netanyahu’s Likud Party denounced the ruling, calling on the country’s parliament to pass a law codifying some exceptions but forcing limited ultra-Orthodox enlistment.

“The real solution to the draft problem is not a Supreme Court ruling,” the party said in a statement.

In court arguments, government attorneys argued that forcing ultra-Orthodox men to enlist would “tear Israeli society apart.”

Israel’s ultra-Orthodox make up roughly 13 percent of the country's population of 9.9 million people. Each year, roughly 13,000 ultra-Orthodox men reach the conscription age of 18, but less than 10 percent enlist, according to the Israeli parliament’s State Control Committee.

The Movement for Quality Government in Israel, which has helped lead the challenge against the exemptions, called on the government to immediately draft all eligible seminary students. 

“This is their legal and moral duty, especially in light of the complex security situation and the urgent need for personnel” in the army, said Tomer Naor, head of the group’s legal department in a statement to The Associated Press.