Israeli military to begin drafting ultra-Orthodox men - army
Starting this Sunday, the IDF will be enlisting ultra-Orthodox men for military duty, according to an announcement made by the Israeli armed forces on Tuesday.
- World
- DPA
- Published Date: 09:56 | 16 July 2024
- Modified Date: 09:56 | 16 July 2024
The army did not specify the number of individuals it would contact to participate in the selection process for the upcoming recruitment.
Ultra-Orthodox men had been largely exempted from otherwise mandatory military service in Israel for decades. But a recent decision by Israel's highest court ordered the government to include them in conscription.
The court decision ending military service exemptions for the ultra-Orthodox was seen as a major setback for the far-right religious coalition backing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Exemptions for Ultra-Orthodox men expired three months ago, and Netanyahu's government failed to pass a law that would have cemented those exemptions in law.
Given the months-long war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the army had recently warned of a drastic shortage of combat-ready soldiers.
In addition, many Israelis feel it is unfair that ultra-Orthodox Jews have so far not been required to serve in the armed forces and have been exempt from dangerous combat missions.
Many ultra-Orthodox Jews see military service as a threat to their religious lifestyle, in part because men and women serve side by side in the Israeli armed forces.