Israel’s Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the government must conscript ultra-Orthodox men for military service, and instructed the state to freeze the allocation of funds for all rabbinical institutions that do not comply starting April 1.
Ultra-Orthodox leaders have warned in the past few weeks that if the government will not find a solution to preserve the exemption of the community from being drafted to the army, they will quit the coalition and force Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold new elections.
A unanimous decision
The nine-judge panel ruled unanimously on the issue, criticizing the government for its conduct since June 30, 2023, when the legal clause enabling the exemption of young ultra-Orthodox men who study in yeshivas from military draft expired.