JERUSALEM / LONDON (IT BOLTWISE) – The debate over conscription for ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel has gained momentum again. A new draft law criticized by the opposition as a privilege for “slackers” is causing tension in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. The ultra-Orthodox parties, whose support is crucial for the governing coalition, reject conscription and threaten to break the coalition.
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In Israel, the discussion about compulsory military service for ultra-Orthodox Jews has flared up again. A new draft law criticized by the opposition as an unwarranted privilege for so-called “slackers” has heightened tensions within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. The ultra-Orthodox parties, which are crucial to the continued existence of the governing coalition, reject conscription and are threatening to break the coalition.
Since Israel’s founding in 1948, men who devote themselves to the full-time study of sacred Jewish texts have been exempt from military service. However, this exception is increasingly being questioned by Israeli society, especially given the mobilization of tens of thousands of conscripts and reservists on multiple fronts. The ultra-Orthodox community makes up 14 percent of Israel’s Jewish population.
The new draft law, introduced by Boaz Bismuth, chairman of the parliamentary foreign affairs and defense committee, imposes minimal penalties for ultra-Orthodox conscientious objectors, including a ban on traveling abroad and the revocation of driving licenses. In addition, the draft quotas will be reduced and exceptions will be made easier for men who study in religious seminaries, the so-called yeshivot.
The opposition, led by Yair Lapid, describes the draft as an “anti-Zionist disgrace” and criticizes the “despicable politics of the corrupt and shirkers.” Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who could run against Netanyahu in the November 2026 elections, sees the law as a declaration of war by the government on the reservists. Israel’s Supreme Court ruled in June 2024 that the state must conscript ultra-Orthodox men because their exemption had expired.
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