Netanyahu to meet ultra-Orthodox factions over military draft policy

By Carrie Keller-Lynn 12 June 2023, 2:17 pm

Edit

Carrie Keller-Lynn is a former political and legal correspondent for The Times of Israel

Ultra-Orthodox Jews block a road during a protest against the ultra-Orthodox draft bill, outside the city of Bnei Brak, February 9, 2022. (Flash90)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet with ultra-Orthodox parties this evening to discuss a looming deadline to resolve the Haredi military enlistment policy.

While the High Court of Justice gave the government until the end of July to pass a new law setting out rules for military exemptions granted to religious scholars, the enlistment law itself is set to expire on June 30, 2023, likely accelerating the government’s response timeline.

If the government fails to either pass a law or receive a High Court extension before the deadline, the Defense Ministry would have to decide to either enlist draft-age Israelis engaging in full-time religious study or risk being in violation of the law.

United Torah Judaism is currently against delaying new legislation further.

However, new enlistment legislation is not currently ready, confirm sources within the coalition, and it is said that a new law will be pushed off until the Knesset’s winter session, beginning in October.