Ultra-Orthodox men must serve in army, Israel top court rules

AFP | Jerusalem, Undefined

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Israel’s top court ruled unanimously on Tuesday that the state must draft ultra-Orthodox Jewish men into military service, potentially destabilising Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition.

The High Court of Justice’s decision on the politically charged issue comes as calls grow for ultra-Orthodox men, historically exempt from mandatory service, to enlist as Israel wages war on Hamas in Gaza and prepares for potential fighting in Lebanon.

“The executive branch has no authority to order not to enforce the Security Service Law for yeshiva students in the absence of an appropriate legislative framework”, the court said.

The justices ruled that without a law granting exemptions to students at Jewish seminaries, “the state must act to enforce the law”.

They also ordered the state to stop funding yeshivas whose students evade military service.

The court’s ruling was a response to petitions from civil society groups advocating mandatory military service for ultra-Orthodox men.

Ultra-Orthodox Jews adhere to a strict interpretation of Jewish custom and largely live in insular communities in Israel and elsewhere.

They make up about 13 percent of Israel’s nearly 10 million population. In Israel, military service is mandatory for Jewish men while religious women are exempt.