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As Israel mobilizes an additional 60,000 reservists for its Gaza City offensive, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a showdown over mandatory military service for the Ultra-Orthodox community, a debate sharpened by the strain on reservists pulled from their families for months at a time.
During Israel’s 1948 War of Independence, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion reached an agreement with the Ultra-Orthodox community to exempt full-time Bible students from the army. The arrangement, known as “Torato manuto” — literally “his Torah is his occupation” — originally applied to only a few hundred students.
Today, that community makes up roughly 15% of Israel’s population of 10 million, a share projected to grow to about a third by 2050 due to high birth rates.
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When the Knesset broke for its summer recess at the end of July, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition was on the verge of collapse over the conscription issue, even as the war against Hamas in Gaza intensified.
Likud lawmaker Yuli Edelstein told Fox News Digital that the ideal outcome would see full-time Torah students continue their studies, while those who are not engaged in religious learning would enlist in the IDF.
“The army needs them, Israel needs them, and it’s manageable — we can do it. What makes it difficult is the lack of an oversight mechanism that the Haredim would agree to,” Edelstein said.
In July, Netanyahu’s Likud party removed Edelstein as chair of the influential Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee after he publicly accused Haredi lawmakers of refusing to engage in compromise on legislation the body was ready to advance.
The shake-up came a week after the Ultra-Orthodox parties United Torah Judaism and Shas withdrew from the coalition in protest over the failure to pass legislation exempting Haredi men from military service. However, they stopped short of joining opposition no-confidence motions that could topple the government.
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The Knesset reconvenes for its winter session next month, giving Netanyahu a little over a month to broker a deal.
“We insisted that anyone who joins the army as a Haredi should leave as a Haredi, and we insisted that the army build the infrastructure to make that possible. We really understand the sensitivity,” Edelstein told Fox News Digital.
“The rabbis, for now, are not in favor of Haredim joining the army — not all of them, of course — but we are trying to work with them as well,” he added.
Ido Keren is the founder of “Katef Le Katef” (Shoulder to Shoulder), an organization of young military reservists from across Israel’s political spectrum that advocates for universal conscription, both as a security necessity and a matter of equality.
“The IDF chief of staff has said there is a shortage of 10,000 to 12,000 soldiers, and these gaps must be filled,” Keren told Fox News Digital. “While 64,000 Haredim are eligible for enlistment, they are not joining. During this time, reservists continue to serve without pause.
“It is not logical that entire groups in Israeli society serve and pay taxes,” he continued, “while another group does not serve, does not pay taxes, and gets a free ride thanks to others. The Jewish state is built on values of mutual responsibility and unity.”
Keren argued that the solution lies in enforcing a universal draft law backed by economic, rather than criminal, sanctions. Cutting public budgets for those who refuse to serve, he said, would push Haredim to enlist and enter the workforce, enabling them to contribute to Israeli society.
A former lawmaker from the Ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party, Moshe Roth, told Fox News Digital that the roots of the debate go back to Israel’s founding. “From the establishment of the state, it was understood that, as the people of the book, it is vital for the country’s spiritual and national existence that a portion of the population devote themselves to Torah study,” he said.
Roth noted that about 20 years ago, Israel’s High Court deemed the status quo arrangement illegal for violating the principle of equality. Since then, the Knesset has repeatedly tried — and failed — to pass legislation addressing the Haredi draft.
“It has become politically charged and weaponized. Many parties use it as a tool to win votes, which has made passing a law extremely difficult. Even when the Knesset succeeds, the High Court often rules that it falls short,” Roth said. “Since Oct. 7, the issue has grown even more sensitive.”
According to Roth, the IDF resisted drafting Haredim due to cultural reasons. “The army is progressive, and the yeshiva students would change its character and deter women from being integrated. It will change the situation dramatically; the military is not too keen about that,” he said.
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During a tour of the Gaza Strip late last month IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir called for enlistment from all sectors.
“Israel’s security requires the full partnership of all parts of the nation. This is a civic duty and a national imperative. I call on everyone to enlist and contribute their share equally; this is the call of the hour,” Zamir said.
In the interim, the IDF is making strides to accommodate religious soldiers. In January, dozens of Ultra-Orthodox recruits joined the military’s new Hasmonean Brigade. The Netzah Yehuda Battalion, formerly Nahal Haredi, enables Haredi men to serve as combat soldiers while observing strict religious practices.
In June, the IDF announced it would issue more than 50,000 draft orders to Ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students and increase enforcement against draft evasion.
“We are attempting to change a situation that has existed for 77 years,” Likud’s Edelstein told Fox News Digital. “It’s a big and difficult shift, a scary change, but it’s necessary.”
“We have no choice — both for military and social reasons,” he said.
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