Supreme Court Strikes Down Law Halting Ultra-Orthodox Draft Evasion Arrests

Israel's Supreme Court unanimously ruled to cancel a law that had halted arrests of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men evading military conscription. The nine-justice panel, in an opinion authored by Deputy Chief Justice Noam Sohlberg, found that the amendment to the law fundamentally deviated from the original bill's subject matter as presented in its first reading. Consequently, the court determined the amendment was enacted with a procedural flaw that invalidated its passage, effectively meaning it had not properly completed its first reading.

The law, passed in mid-July 2026 by a vote of 58 to 54, was intended to suspend enforcement, investigation, and arrest procedures against yeshiva students who had not reported for military service for a period of five months. Observers, however, believed the law's true purpose extended beyond a temporary solution to the issue of arrests. It was seen as laying the groundwork for future legislation establishing a permanent exemption from military service for the ultra-Orthodox community. The numbers and lists compiled under this temporary law could serve as a basis for future demands by the ultra-Orthodox leadership to exempt students from all conscription obligations, arguing they are Torah scholars who should not be drafted.