New law cracks down on women draft dodgers

The Knesset approved a bill on Monday evening that will crack down on women who dodge Israel’s compulsory draft by claiming to be religious.

The Knesset approved the law with a vote of 21 for and five against. The new law aims to minimize the number of exemptions granted to women who falsely claim to be religious by requiring them to provide evidence to that effect. Until now, in order to get an exemption, women were only required to affirm they were religious.

“Religious women have a right to an army exemption, but unfortunately it is increasingly common that non-religious women try to get out of serving in the IDF and lie,” MK Ze’ev Elkin (Likud) said. “The aim of the law is to stop these women from lying, and with the help of legal sanctions it will no longer pay them to do so.”

The new law was passed as the debate over religious men serving in the army has reached a fever pitch. Last month the Supreme Court overturned the Tal Law, eliminating de facto exemption from the army for Haredi men.