Chareidi Draft Law Pushed Off Until Summer

The issue of drafting chareidim into the army was delayed until the summer, after the High Court granted the government’s request due to the elections in late March.

The court gave the government until July 6, 2021. After that, if a new conscription law is not passed which satisfactorily resolves the issue of chareidim, the IDF would have to begin recruitment of chariedim according to the same criteria as the general population.

In 2017, the High Court overturned a law exempting chareidim from military service on the grounds that the exemption was unfair, violating the principle of equality under the law. The court ruled that the government either pass new legislation or begin conscripting chareidi men.

Since then, the government — through the defense minister — has requested and received extensions for this deadline, arguing that more time was needed to write and pass the required legislation.