Israel’s Parliament Approves Laws Exempting Ultra-Orthodox from Military Service

In Tel Aviv, Israeli lawmakers have passed legislation that effectively prevents the enlistment of ultra-Orthodox men in the army. This decision aims to attract religious political parties as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks support ahead of autumn elections.

During a marathon session on Monday and Tuesday, parliament members voted to halt the arrest of ultra-Orthodox individuals avoiding military service. They also enshrined Jewish religious studies as a “foundational value” of the state. These laws reflect significant concessions by Netanyahu’s Likud party to ultra-Orthodox politicians who aim for a formal exemption of their community from obligatory military service, which most Jewish men and women in Israel must fulfill.

The military faces personnel shortages. Many Israelis are frustrated with the longstanding system allowing ultra-Orthodox men to avoid service. Each year, about 13,000 ultra-Orthodox men reach the mandatory recruitment age of 18. However, a parliamentary committee reports that less than 10% enlist. These laws come after nearly three years of ongoing conflicts ranging from Gaza to Lebanon and Iran, and before the Knesset’s summer recess. Members will return to work just days before the upcoming parliamentary elections on October 27, which will also serve as a referendum on Netanyahu’s leadership during times of conflict.

Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, seeks the ultra-Orthodox community’s backing in the upcoming elections. Shlomit Ravitsky Tur-Paz, head of the Religion and State Program at the Israel Democracy Institute, noted, “Netanyahu aims to ensure that the ultra-Orthodox negotiate exclusively with him after the elections.” Yet, Netanyahu faces strong opposition, even within his party and from the Chief of Staff of the Army, Eyal Zamir.

Local media report that Zamir criticized the legislation in a letter addressed to Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz. He described the laws as “clearly incompatible” with military needs. “It is inconceivable that the military system under my command, which demands unprecedented sacrifice from its personnel, takes part in granting mass exemption from prosecution,” he wrote.

The roots of exemptions for the ultra-Orthodox date back to Israel’s founding in 1948 when a small group of students aimed to revive Jewish studies decimated during the Holocaust. Later, Israel’s Supreme Court ruled these exemptions illegal. Experts indicate that the law formalizing Torah study, Judaism’s foundational text, provides the state with a legal framework to contest the court’s views.

Yair Lapid, the opposition leader, criticized the law as “a profound desecration of God’s name” and an “insult” to Israeli soldiers. In contrast, ultra-Orthodox legislator Moshe Gafni, who promoted the bill, declared its passage historic. “For thousands of years, studying the Torah has preserved the Jewish people throughout the diaspora,” he said, adding that the law “will be a compass for the state’s values.”

Reporter Melzer contributed to this story from Nahariya, Israel.