Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced in a press conference on Thursday that his government will seek to end the exemption of ultra-Orthodox Jews from military service, in the face of political pressure that threatens the stability of the ruling coalition.
Netanyahu has set goals for recruiting ultra-Orthodox Jews into the Israeli army and national civil services, stressing that means will be developed to implement these goals.
The date of invalidation of the law exempting ultra-Orthodox males from conscription dates back to 2018, when the Supreme Court in Israel confirmed that the need requires the participation of the entire Israeli society in military service, and that a specific group should not enjoy privileges in this regard.
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But since then, the Israeli Knesset has failed to reach a new arrangement, and the order suspending mandatory conscription for militants is set to expire in March.
The ultra-Orthodox parties cooperated with the far-right parties to help Netanyahu win a small parliamentary majority, but in previous governments they made it a condition of continuing to exempt ultra-Orthodox Jews from conscription.
Netanyahu’s announcement appears to come as a reaction to the Defense Minister’s pledge to use his veto to repeal the law that allows the exemption to continue, unless the government reaches an agreement that enables the recruitment of ultra-Orthodox Jews.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant stated that he appreciates and supports people who devote their lives to studying the Jewish Holy Book, but there should be no distinction between the spiritual side and the material side.
On the other hand, the issue of exempting ultra-Orthodox Jews from military service has been a source of contention in Israel, where citizens who are more secular inclined prefer to end this exemption, and these disagreements are increasing due to the current tensions in the region, including the conflict with the Gaza Strip.
The ultra-Orthodox group of Jews requests the right to study in theological institutes instead of performing military service for three years, and some opinions indicate that the lifestyle of these religious individuals may conflict with military traditions, while others oppose the liberal state in general.
Ultra-Orthodox Jews make up about 13 percent of Israel’s population, and this percentage is expected to rise to 19 percent by 2035, due to the high birth rates among them.
Economic experts point out that exemption from military service leads to some of these people remaining in theological institutes unnecessarily, which affects the labor market.
It is reported that he had 66,000 Haredim (ultra-religious) people were exempted from serving in the Israeli army during the past year, in a record number, according to local media. Of this number, only 540 Haredim have decided to join the army since the start of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip. These numbers were revealed by a representative of the Israeli Army Manpower Office during a parliamentary session.
And it has The Haredi parties received the demands to amend the law with great anger, and vowed to bring down the coalition of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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