Israel sends conscription notices to thousands of ultra-Orthodox

Middle East

Israel sends conscription notices to thousands of ultra-Orthodox

The decades-long exemption of devout believers from military service no longer applies. 7,000 affected people will soon have to expect draft orders again.

According to Israeli media, Israel’s military wants to issue draft orders for ultra-Orthodox men again next Sunday. Several Israeli newspapers reported unanimously that around 7,000 devout believers will receive notices.

Former Defense Minister Joav Galant had approved the sending of the draft orders before his dismissal, the Times of Israel reported. The military therefore wants to send the notifications as planned. Israel Katz, as the new defense minister, did not cancel the measure.

According to the media, around 3,000 strictly religious men received draft notices in the summer. Accordingly, only a fraction of them subsequently appeared at military enlistment centers. The army wants to draft the ultra-Orthodox into military service after a selection process next year.

For decades, strictly religious men in Israel were exempt from military service. However, an exemption expired several months ago. The Israeli government failed to pass a law to cement relief for the ultra-Orthodox. The Supreme Court finally issued a ruling in the summer that ultra-Orthodox men should be drafted into military service.

The ultra-religious parties in the governing coalition are angry about this. Many ultra-Orthodox feel military service is a threat to their pious lifestyle, partly because women and men serve together. Many people in Israel feel it is unfair that ultra-Orthodox Jews have not had to serve as weapons and have been exempt from dangerous combat missions.

In view of the wars against the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon, Israel’s military is warning of a shortage of soldiers capable of fighting.