Coalition Chair Proposes Military Service Value in Controversial Torah Study Law Amid Backlash

The chairman of the coalition, Ofir Katz from Likud, is pushing to amend the controversial Basic Law on Draft Evasion by including the value of military service alongside Torah study. This move aims to quell public outrage and curb protests by combat veterans without providing actual budget increases. Legal advisors warned during committee discussions that if the law is enacted, it could exempt ultra-Orthodox students from core curriculum studies, equalize funding between private ultra-Orthodox and state education, allow yeshiva students to receive income guarantees, and remove penalties for draft evasion.

Deputy Attorney General Avital Sompolinsky criticized the law as an unconstitutional amendment, describing the Basic Law on Torah Study as a scheme to legalize draft evasion at any cost. Katz’s proposal to equate military service with Torah study effectively compares risking one’s life for the country to seeking refuge in yeshivas at the state’s expense. It also equates the trauma of combat veterans with the fears of those who might face brief detention for desertion, thereby constitutionally legitimizing discrimination.

Critics argue that the law undermines the value of military service and perpetuates a shortage of 12,000 combat and support soldiers in the IDF, forcing reservists to serve over two months annually. This situation leaves many young Israelis who contribute to the country without a stable life. Economically, legalizing draft evasion and exempting core studies could cost the Israeli economy tens of billions of shekels annually, as only half of ultra-Orthodox men work, earning less than half the average non-Haredi Jewish male salary and paying minimal taxes.

The growing ultra-Orthodox population and their low workforce participation threaten economic sustainability. The law’s passage would deepen this burden, forcing those who serve in the military and their families to bear heavier tax loads and receive fewer services amid ongoing conflict. Thus, adding military service value to the Basic Law on Draft Evasion is seen not as a compromise but as a further insult to the IDF and its soldiers, worsening the original law’s impact.