High Court freezes implementation of contentious law banning arrests of Haredi draft-dodgers

In a dramatic intervention, the High Court of Justice freezes the implementation of a law passed by the Knesset yesterday banning the arrest of ultra-Orthodox draft dodgers.

In response to petitions against the law, the court orders that a hearing on the legislation be held as soon as possible and issues a temporary order preventing the law from coming into effect pending a further decision.

Justice Ofer Grosskopf, who issues the temporary order, also issues a conditional order demanding the government explain why the law should not be struck down, based on previous High Court rulings on the issue and the arguments of petitioners, which he says, have “significant weight.”

Several petitions were filed against the law immediately after its passage, arguing that the legislation was discriminatory since it bans arrests for ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students who have failed to obey conscription orders while allowing arrests for non-Haredi draft-dodgers to continue.

The law — part of a last-minute legislative blitz by the government that addresses, among other things, Haredi demands to ensure blanket draft exemptions for yeshiva students — grants tens of thousands of Haredi draft evaders immunity from arrest until late January 2027, and extends that protection to those who become eligible for military service after it takes effect, effectively eliminating the threat of arrest and making it easier to refuse to enlist during that period. It also suspends ongoing criminal proceedings against those already facing enforcement measures.

On Monday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir called the proposal “inconceivable,” saying it was “clearly and unequivocally inconsistent with the IDF’s needs” and amounted to “providing mass exemptions from prosecution.”

Some 72,000 ultra-Orthodox men aged 18 to 24 are currently believed to be eligible for military service, but have not enlisted. The IDF has said repeatedly in recent months that it urgently needs 12,000 new recruits amid the ongoing multifront conflict. The law has drawn fierce opposition from reservists, Knesset legal advisers and much of the public.