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Tuesday, October 28, 2025
Revised Haredi draft bill said to reduce penalties for dodgers, lower requirements for exemption
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleAriela Karmel is a political correspondent at The Times of Israel. She previously reported for Calcalist and Haaretz. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern and African History from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.
Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Boaz Bismuth’s revised bill to regulate the conscription of — and draft exemptions for — Haredi yeshiva students will feature reduced penalties for draft evasion and lowered requirements for draft exemption for yeshiva students, according to reports by Channel 12 news and other Hebrew media outlets.
Under his new bill, set to be presented to lawmakers on Monday, the time students must be enrolled in a yeshiva to qualify for a military exemption has been reduced from three years to two.
Participation in national service programs will be counted toward military service, mandatory appearances at draft offices will be canceled and restrictions on overseas travel for draft evaders will apply only until age 26.
While the plan sets a long-term target of enlisting 50% of each annual Haredi draft cohort within five years, according to Hebrew news reports, critics say the revisions make the law more of a symbolic effort than a serious enforcement tool, offering incentives and loopholes that may allow many ultra-Orthodox students to avoid service entirely.
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