Knesset Committee Approves Temporary Freeze on Arrests of Haredi Draft Dodgers

The Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee approved a bill on Sunday to temporarily halt the arrest of Haredi yeshiva students who are draft dodgers obligated to serve in the Israel Defense Forces. The bill, passed for a second and third reading, now awaits final approval by the full Knesset. Under the temporary measure, arrests of yeshiva students whose Torah study is their primary occupation will be suspended until November 30, after the upcoming elections.

The law defines a yeshiva student as someone engaged in regular Torah study for at least 45 hours per week, or 40 hours in a kollel, excluding customary vacation periods. The Defense Minister will determine the list of recognized yeshivas and appoint inspectors to verify students’ attendance.

Despite the committee’s approval, the bill faced criticism from the legal advisory team, which warned that the law grants a sectoral exemption from the Security Service Law without balancing measures. The legal opinion stated that exempting a specific group from the law disrupts the required balance and lacks provisions that reconcile Torah study with reducing inequality in national service burdens.

Following the approval, Knesset Member Meir Porush said the bill sends a message that the majority of the Jewish population in Israel opposes the arrest of Torah students, which he described as a harmful act against the Land of Israel. The bill’s passage comes amid ongoing legal debates about the feasibility of abolishing arrests of draft-dodging yeshiva students.