(25 Jun 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jerusalem - 25 June 2024
1. SOUNDBITE (English) Joe Federman, The Associated Press:
"Israel's Supreme Court has ordered the government to begin drafting ultra-Orthodox men into the army. This is a landmark decision that spells trouble for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his governing coalition. In Israel, most Jewish men are required to perform three years of compulsory military service. But powerful ultra-Orthodox parties have used their influence over the years to win exemptions for their followers. This system has long been a source of resentment among the broader public, but that resentment has grown during the current war in Gaza, with over 600 soldiers killed in action over the past eight months. Netanyahu now faces a difficult decision. He can try to work with his partners to pass a new law that would somehow extend these exemptions. That would risk setting off mass protests and widespread anger toward the government. But if he implements the decision, he risks losing the support of his ultra-Orthodox partners. That would likely bring down the government and trigger new elections at a time when Netanyahu's popularity is at a low. In other words, Netanyahu could risk being sent back to the opposition."
++ENDS ON A SOUNDBITE++
STORYLINE:
Israel’s Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled unanimously that the military must begin drafting ultra-Orthodox men for compulsory service, a landmark decision that could lead to the collapse of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition as Israel continues to wage war in Gaza.
The historic ruling effectively puts an end to a decades-old system that granted ultra-Orthodox men broad exemptions from military service while maintaining mandatory enlistment for the country’s secular Jewish majority.
The arrangement, deemed discriminatory by critics, has created a deep chasm in Israel's Jewish majority over who should shoulder the burden of protecting the country.
The court struck down a law that codified exemptions in 2017, but repeated court extensions and government delaying tactics over a replacement dragged out a resolution for years.
The court ruled that in the absence of a law, Israel’s compulsory military service applies to the ultra-Orthodox like any other citizen.
Under longstanding arrangements, ultra-Orthodox men have been exempt from the draft, which is compulsory for most Jewish men and women, who serve three and two years respectively as well as reserve duty until around age 40.
These exemptions have long been a source of anger among the secular public, a divide that has widened during the eight-month-old war, as the military has called up tens of thousands of soldiers and says it needs all the manpower it can get.
Over 600 soldiers have been killed since Hamas' Oct. 7 attack.
Politically powerful ultra-Orthodox parties, key partners in Netanyahu’s governing coalition, oppose any change to the current system. If the exemptions are ended, they could bolt the coalition, causing the government to collapse and likely leading to new elections at a time when its popularity has dropped.
In the current environment, Netanyahu could have a hard time delaying the matter any further or passing laws to restore the exemptions. During arguments, government lawyers told the court that forcing ultra-Orthodox men to enlist would “tear Israeli society apart.”
It did not say how many ultra-Orthodox should be drafted, but the military has said it is capable of enlisting 3,000 this year.
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