Israeli Supreme Court Suspends Enforcement of Controversial Draft Evasion Law

The Israeli Supreme Court issued an interim injunction on Tuesday suspending the enforcement of Amendment 28 (a temporary provision) to the Security Service Law, which targets draft evaders. The decision was made after hearing arguments from both sides and will remain in effect until further notice. The case was heard by an expanded panel of nine justices, led by Deputy President Noam Sohlberg, alongside judges Daphna Barak-Erez, David Mintz, Yael Wilner, Ofer Groskopf, Alex Stein, Gila Kanfi-Steinitz, Yechiel Kasher, and Ruth Ronen.

The ruling was welcomed by the Movement for Quality Government in Israel, which called it a victory for equality, the rule of law, and national security. They criticized the law for creating a discriminatory system that treats secular draft evaders differently from ultra-Orthodox ones, granting immunity from arrest and enforcement based solely on sector affiliation. The organization emphasized that the court's decision halts a discriminatory law that protects those avoiding service while regular and reserve soldiers continue to bear the burden.

Despite the injunction, advocates stressed that the struggle is ongoing. They pledged to continue demanding actual enlistment, equal enforcement, and a genuine arrangement to reduce inequality, aiming for universal conscription obligations across all sectors in Israeli society.