Israeli Supreme Court Expands Hearing on Yeshiva Students' Arrest Exemption Law to Nine Judges
Translated & summarized from Calcalist by baba
The Israeli Supreme Court has expanded the hearing on the law exempting yeshiva students from arrest to nine judges, following a temporary injunction suspending the law. The law, passed recently, grants a 6.5-month arrest exemption but faces strong opposition from the military and multiple political groups. The hearing is set for July 28.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Supreme Court expanded hearing on yeshiva arrest exemption law to nine judges.
- Temporary injunction suspends the law's implementation pending review.
- Petitions filed by Israel Hofsheet, Yesh Atid, Yisrael Beiteinu, and Movement for Quality Government.
- Law grants yeshiva students 6.5-month arrest exemption, approved days ago by Knesset.
- IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir strongly opposes the law, citing draft evasion concerns.
- Hearing scheduled for July 28, led by Deputy President Noam Sohlberg.
Israeli Supreme Court President Isaac Amit has ordered that the hearing on petitions challenging the law freezing arrests of yeshiva students be conducted by a nine-judge panel, signaling a strong possibility the law may be struck down. The hearing is scheduled for July 28 and will be led by Deputy President Noam Sohlberg. This follows a temporary injunction issued yesterday by Supreme Court Justice Ofer Groskopf, which suspended the law's implementation and required the state and Knesset to justify why the law should not be annulled.
The petitions were filed by Israel Hofsheet, Yesh Atid, Yisrael Beiteinu, and the Movement for Quality Government. The injunction means that arrests of draft-dodging and absent yeshiva students will continue for now. The Knesset approved the exemption law just days ago, granting yeshiva students a 6.5-month arrest exemption until the end of January. The law was passed alongside the Basic Law on Torah Study as part of a coalition deal involving draft evasion legislation and controversial judicial reforms.
On Monday, IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir sent an unusual letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Boaz Bismuth, strongly opposing the law. Zamir warned that the exemption incentivizes draft evasion and undermines trust among soldiers and reservists, stating it is unacceptable for the military to endorse mass exemptions.
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