Israel's High Court Annuls Law Shielding Ultra-Orthodox Draft Dodgers

Israel's High Court of Justice, known as Bagatz, unanimously ruled on September 3rd to completely annul a law that had protected ultra-Orthodox men from military conscription arrests and prosecution. The controversial amendment, passed by the Knesset in mid-July 2026, had temporarily halted all legal proceedings and arrests against Haredi individuals for five months.

Bagatz had previously blocked the law's implementation in response to petitions, ordering the state to justify why the law shouldn't be canceled due to its discriminatory nature. Following deliberations on September 3rd, the nine-judge panel found procedural violations in the law's passage. Specifically, the court noted that the final bill significantly differed from its initial version after the first reading, which is legally impermissible.

Furthermore, eight of the nine justices emphasized that the coalition's proposal violated the fundamental principle of equality before the law. The verdict stated that granting legal immunity to a specific group of citizens severely undermines the rule of law. Justice Noam Sohlberg pointed out that enforcement measures against Haredim are due to draft evasion, not Torah study.

The court concluded that depriving the IDF of enforcement tools leaves the army without effective means to motivate enlistment. Representatives of ultra-Orthodox parties have decried the decision as part of a "discriminatory campaign" against the Torah world. The annulment reinstates the authorities' ability to use standard arrest procedures against Haredi draft evaders.