From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
Government tells High Court it needs more time to complete Haredi draft policy
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleJeremy Sharon is The Times of Israel’s legal affairs and settlements reporter
With the deadline for submission having passed yesterday, the state tells the High Court of Justice that it is still working on formulating a program to draft ultra-Orthodox men into the army but requests several more weeks.
In its submission to the court, the state says its plan will lead to immediate conscription of some members of the ultra-Orthodox population, and will also address recruitment in the longer term.
The submission notes, however, that the program is designed for the “gradual recruitment of members of the ultra-Orthodox public.”
The state asks the court to grant it an extension of several weeks to submit its plan before the next hearing on the petitions, which has been set for June 2 in front of a panel of nine High Court justices.
Legal petitions have demanded the immediate conscription of ultra-Orthodox men of military age. A law allowing for blanket military service exemptions for Haredi yeshiva students expired in June 2023, and a subsequent government resolution instructing the IDF not to enforce conscription on such men expired at the end of March this year.
The Times of Israel Community.