Israel Commences Mandatory Military Service for Ultra-Orthodox Jews

The defense minister has sanctioned the induction of certain community members into military service starting from the upcoming month, as suggests recent news.

As reported by domestic media, forwarded by the Defense Ministry, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has given the green light to a plan initiating the enlistment of ultra-Orthodox Jews into the military forces from next month. Until this point, this religious community had an exemption from duties in the IDF.

This decision was unveiled a fortnight after a groundbreaking ruling from the nation’s supreme court on June 25th. It concluded that there’s no lawful justification for refraining from conscripting ultra-Orthodox Jews, who have been largely undrafted since Israel was founded in 1948.

Reportedly, the authorization was a result of an evaluation meeting on Tuesday involving the army's chief of staff, Herzi Halevi, amongst other officials. Reports indicate that Gallant okayed the process to issue draft notifications to ultra-Orthodox Jews within the forthcoming month, as per discussions.

The move is to be put into effect “according to the IDF's capacity for absorption and screening, and following a substantial process of fine-tuning pre-existing data regarding probable draftees,” as per the official declaration, cited by media outlets.

Previous month, the High Court of Justice revoked the exemption hitherto given to ultra-Orthodox Jews 76 years ago. It also instructed the Israeli authorities to stop financial assistance for religious schools, or yeshivas, whose students dodge the draft.

Continue reading: Israeli high court's judgement on ultra-Orthodox Jews mandatory draft.

The verdict emerged due to a rising sense of resentment among secular Israelis. This feeling has been exacerbated as the Gaza conflict extends into its tenth month and leaves Israel grappling with a manpower deficit. Earlier this month, Gallant mentioned the army's requirement of an additional 10,000 soldiers.

In Israel, serving in the military is a mandatory obligation for the majority of citizens, both male and female, typically commencing at the age of 18. Israelis have to spend 24-32 months in IDF service.

Following a cross-border intrusion by Hamas, which resulted in 1,200 casualties and the capture of 250 people, the Israeli government initiated a large-scale military operation in Gaza, last October. It is estimated that around 116 hostages are still captive in Gaza.

The conflict has claimed more than 38,000 lives, while above 87,000 individuals have suffered injuries due to Israeli assaults on the Palestinian territory, as per Gaza's health authorities.

Since the start of the military operation, the IDF has reported a death toll of 325 soldiers, while the total fatalities on all fronts stands at 681 since the incursion led by Hamas, as per the official statistics.

Aarav Patel for TROIB News