Israel drafts ultra-Orthodox Jews in historic military move
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) sent draft notices to haredi – ultra-Orthodox Jews, who had previously been exempt from military service. This is a groundbreaking decision by the army, which is not accepted by the religious segment of Jewish society and rabbis. The first batch of one thousand draft notices has already been sent, reports the "Times of Israel".
On Sunday, 21 July, IDF sent 1,000 draft orders to ultra-Orthodox Jews aged 18–26. This is the first of three waves of drafting planned for the next four weeks.
The issue of military service among the ultra-Orthodox community is one of the most contentious in Israel. Governmental and judicial attempts to resolve this issue have not yielded a concrete solution for decades. Religious and political leaders among the Haredi thwart any efforts to draft young Orthodox Jews.
Ultra-Orthodox rabbis have appealed to students to ignore all draft notices. Meanwhile, the military announced that the notices were sent on Sunday, July 21.
IDF declared that it is acting in accordance with the law and warned that individuals who ignore the draft order are not allowed to leave the country. For refusing to report for military duty, they will be arrested by the Military Police. If they refuse again, they will be placed in military prisons.
The decision has sparked enormous opposition within the Orthodox Jewish community. The Haredi emphasise that military service is incompatible with their way of life. They also cite concerns related to secularisation. In their view, the draft notices are measures aimed at limiting or eliminating the role of religion in Israel.
The orders that the army is enforcing are the result of a groundbreaking Supreme Court ruling in June. It was determined that there are no legal objections to drafting haredi for military service.
