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In the name of equality, the Supreme Court in 2018 voided a law
waiving the draft for ultra-Orthodox men. Parliament failed to
come up with a new arrangement, and a government-issued stay on
mandatory conscription of ultra-Orthodox expires next month.
The ultra-Orthodox claim the right to study in seminaries
instead of serving in uniform for the standard three years. Some
say their pious lifestyles would clash with military mores,
while others voice ideological opposition to the liberal state.
The ultra-Orthodox make up 13% of Israel's population, a figure
expected to reach 19% by 2035 due to their high birth rates.
Economists argue that the draft exemption keeps some of them
unnecessarily in seminaries and out of the workforce.
With fighting against Palestinian Hamas militants in Gaza and
knock-on violence on the Lebanese border exacting the highest
military casualties in decades, many Israelis resent their
fellow citizens being spared their share of the risk.
Hundreds of Israeli flag-waiving protesters gathered outside the
Supreme Court as it opened hearings of petitions against the
waivers. With ultra-Orthodox parties serving in Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu's religious-rightist coalition, the public
controversy has often fed into anti-government sentiment.
"The prolonged war in Gaza teaches us the critical need to
expand recruitment to all parts of Israeli society," said the
Movement for Quality Government in Israel, among groups that
petitioned the Supreme Court against the ultra-Orthodox waivers.
"Equal burden is not a slogan, it is a strategic and security
necessity, and this demand for true equality in recruitment
should be shared by everyone who holds this country dear to
their heart."
(Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by Nick Macfie)
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