The verdict was unanimous: Israel’s Supreme Court has ruled that the country’s armed forces must also draft ultra-Orthodox Jews into military service in the future.
The court announced this on Tuesday. The judges agreed that there is no law that distinguishes between ultra-Orthodox and other conscripts and that everyone must therefore perform compulsory military service.
Until now, it was customary for ultra-Orthodox men who devoted themselves to religious studies to be exempted from the multi-year military service. For secular Jews, this regulation has long been a nuisance. Since the beginning of the Gaza war, this discontent has increased even further.
The decision has the potential to break up Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s shaky coalition government, as the influential ultra-Orthodox parties that are part of the alliance reject any change to the current arrangement.
