Legal Officials Say Bill to Halt Haredi Draft Evader Arrests Has No Legal Standing

Legal sources said on Wednesday morning that legislation promoted by Haredi parties to stop arrests of Haredi draft evaders does not meet basic legal standards and has no realistic chance of surviving review by the High Court of Justice. According to those sources, the Knesset legal adviser is not expected to endorse the proposal, which the coalition wants to advance as a temporary order.

The report, aired on Kan News’ Reshet Bet program "The Morning This," said the bill is not legally viable. The assessment comes after coalition leaders moved to accelerate the initiative, even though the Knesset legal adviser, Shגit Afik, has already said in private discussions that she would oppose it on legal grounds.

On Tuesday, Shas chairman Aryeh Deri and United Torah Judaism lawmaker Moshe Gafni met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and demanded immediate legislation to stop arrests of Haredi young men and to pass a Basic Law on Torah study. Netanyahu told them he is committed to approving and swiftly advancing both measures.

Coalition plans reportedly include stripping the enlistment law of everything except the clause dealing with the release of draft evaders, in order to move quickly. Later on Wednesday, a large Haredi protest against the arrests is scheduled, with 19 convoy groups departing from locations across Israel toward Military Prison 10 near Beit Lid, and road closures are expected on several routes. Protest organizers warned that if the convoys are blocked, they will shut roads.