First 1,000 of 7,000 new ultra-Orthodox draft orders sent out

The first 1,000 of 7,000 new draft orders to male members of the ultra-Orthodox community are being sent out by the military today.

The orders, which constitute the first stage in the screening and evaluation process that the army carries out for recruits ahead of enlistment in the military in the coming year, come after a landmark High Court ruling in June that said there was no longer any legal framework allowing the state to refrain from drafting Haredi yeshiva students into military service.

The dispute over the ultra-Orthodox community serving in the military is one of the most contentious in Israel, with decades of governmental and judicial attempts to settle the issue never achieving a stable resolution.

The Haredi religious and political leadership fiercely resists any effort to draft young men.

The decision to issue the draft orders was made by former defense minister Yoav Gallant a day before he was fired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this month. Newly appointed Defense Minister Israel Katz did not cancel it, as some expected.