Israeli Supreme Court Reviews Law Suspending Enforcement Against Ultra-Orthodox Draft Dodgers

The Israeli Supreme Court convened on Tuesday morning with nine justices to hear petitions challenging a newly passed law that freezes criminal enforcement actions against ultra-Orthodox draft dodgers. The hearing, scheduled for 9:00 a.m., was broadcast live. The law, approved earlier this month by the Knesset, halts all enforcement procedures including arrests and investigations of ultra-Orthodox individuals evading military service. Shortly after the petitions were filed, the court issued an interim injunction preventing the law from taking effect.

Five petitions were submitted by various political and civil society actors including the Yesh Atid party led by Yair Lapid, the Movement for Quality Government, the Yisrael Beiteinu party headed by Avigdor Lieberman, the Brothers and Sisters in Arms organization, and the Free Israel Movement. The petitioners argue that the law violates the principle of equality by creating a legal shield exclusively for ultra-Orthodox draft evaders, while secular draft dodgers continue to face prosecution. They describe this as unprecedented discrimination, effectively establishing two classes of draft evaders.

The Attorney General advised the Supreme Court to halt the law’s implementation, and the State Attorney’s Office also recommended its cancellation. The Knesset’s legal advisor identified significant procedural flaws in the law’s passage. Critics highlight the law’s timing amid ongoing military conflicts on Israel’s northern and southern borders, emphasizing the sacrifices made by soldiers compared to the legal protections granted to ultra-Orthodox draft evaders. The debate underscores deep divisions over military service exemptions and equality before the law in Israeli society.