Ultra-Orthodox Jews at the protest. Photo: Oded Balilty / AP
On Sunday, thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews took to the streets in Israel to protest their inclusion in the country’s armed forces after the Supreme Court revoked their exemption.
The Supreme Court’s decision, made last week, mandates the conscription of ultra-Orthodox men into military service. This led to mass protests, including violent clashes between demonstrators and police in Jerusalem on Sunday evening. Police used mounted officers and water cannons to disperse the protesters, who threw stones and attacked officers, resulting in five arrests.
For decades, ultra-Orthodox men in Israel were exempt from mandatory military service, but these exemptions expired three months ago. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government failed to pass a law to enshrine these exemptions. As a result, the Supreme Court ordered the cessation of state subsidies for draft-age ultra-Orthodox men studying in religious schools.
In late March, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara also ruled that the military must draft religious students who had previously been largely exempt. This decision affects approximately 63,000 men who could bolster the Israeli army amid the conflict in Gaza and potential escalation on the northern border with Lebanon, where the Iran-backed Hezbollah operates.
The Supreme Court’s ruling is seen as a significant blow to Netanyahu’s right-wing religious government. His political survival depends on the support of two ultra-Orthodox parties, which consider military exemption crucial for their voters, as military service could challenge their conservative practices.
Before the court’s decision, Netanyahu attempted to push through legislation that would solidify the exemption for ultra-Orthodox students from the draft. However, most Israelis oppose this exemption. Even Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant publicly criticized Netanyahu’s attempt to advance the legislation.
According to a February survey by the Israel Democracy Institute, 64 percent of Israeli respondents and 70 percent of Israeli Jews believe that the exemption for ultra-Orthodox from military service “should be changed,” CNN reports.
It is worth noting that this is not the first time the Supreme Court has ruled against the exemption of ultra-Orthodox from mandatory military service. In 1998, the court told the government that the exemption violated the principles of equal protection for citizens. In the following decades, successive governments and parliaments tried to address this issue, but the court repeatedly declared their efforts illegal.
