Israel Imposes New Sanctions on Ultra-Orthodox Draft Dodgers

Starting next year, Israel will implement significant new economic sanctions against ultra-Orthodox men who evade military service. These measures, revealed by Channel 13 News, are expected to cost affected households thousands of shekels.

The sanctions include the revocation of mortgage subsidies and the cancellation of discounts for daycare centers and summer camps. These penalties are in addition to existing measures targeting draft dodgers, such as the denial of municipal property taxes, subsidized daycare, public transportation discounts, and participation in government housing programs.

This development follows a recent unanimous High Court of Justice ruling that struck down an amendment to a law which had previously frozen arrests, investigations, and enforcement actions against ultra-Orthodox draft dodgers. The court, presided over by Deputy Chief Justice Noam Sohlberg, found the amendment to be fundamentally flawed in its legislative process, exceeding the scope of the bill's initial reading and thus violating Knesset procedural rules.

Furthermore, eight of the nine justices ruled the amendment unconstitutional on its merits, stating it severely infringes upon the right to equality without meeting the conditions for such limitations. The court had previously issued an interim order freezing the law's implementation due to complex legal questions and prior rulings on the matter.

Earlier, MK Meir Porush of the United Torah Judaism party had declared that arresting yeshiva students was illegal and that any soldier or police officer participating in such an arrest would be breaking the law. A senior official from Agudath Yisrael blamed Interior Minister Aryeh Deri for pushing the law despite knowing it had no chance of passing the High Court, accusing him of fueling incitement against the ultra-Orthodox community for personal political gain.