Knesset Committee Advances Measure Suspending Detention for Ultra-Orthodox Draft Evasion

An Israeli parliamentary committee approved a bill on Sunday to halt the detention of ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) Jews who evade mandatory military service, signaling momentum toward final legislative approval in the Knesset later this week, per local media outlets.

The Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee sanctioned a temporary suspension of detention for draft evaders enrolled in religious seminaries, known as yeshivas, as reported by Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.

Despite a legal critique arguing the bill exacerbates inequality rather than achieving equity, the governing coalition plans to advance the legislation, which is anticipated for Knesset votes later this week.

The proposed measure will stay in effect until November 30. However, due to Article 38 of Israel’s Basic Law, which automatically extends legislation due to expire within four months of parliamentary dissolution, the suspension will functionally last six months rather than three.

Opposition leader and former military chief Gadi Eisenkot criticized the policy on X, stating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition “discriminates among citizens regarding military service obligations,” while pledging future government recognition for those who serve.

The coalition is prioritizing this draft-evasion bill alongside legislation aiming to constitutionally enshrine Torah study as a core national value.

Earlier this month, the Knesset backed the Torah study bill in its first reading with a 63-53 vote, granting religious education enhanced legal protections and constitutional status.

Haredi communities, comprising roughly 13% of Israel’s 10 million-plus population, oppose military service, citing religious obligations to prioritize Torah study over secular integration.

For years, Haredi men avoided conscription at age 18 through repeated deferrals for religious study until reaching the exemption age of 26.

In 2024, Israel’s Supreme Court mandated that Haredi men be drafted and halted public funding for institutions whose students reject enlistment.

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