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Israeli law to draft more Charedim into the IDF could trigger an election
Supreme court gives controversial bill an extension for implementation but some critics think it may lead to a national vote
Israel’s Supreme Court has given the government three months to implement legislation that would have more Charedi yeshiva students drafted into the military.
The implementation of a new draft law likely will trigger the fall of the current government and new elections sometime in the first three months of 2019.
Last September, the Supreme Court struck down a law that increased the number of draft exemptions for the Charedi students. The court gave the government one year to rework the draft for Charedi men.
The court’s ruling on Tuesday fell well short of the government’s request for a seven-month extension.
In July, a bill setting military enlistment quotas for Charedi yeshiva students passed its initial reading in the Knesset over threats from Charedi lawmakers to bring down the government if it becomes law.
The legislation requires that a minimum number of students serve in the military or the government will reduce the annual budget allocation for their yeshivas. The target will increase each year for 10 years.
Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman of the Charedi United Torah Judaism party said he would resign from the government if the new law were approved.
Secular and non-Charedi Israelis have long complained that far too many young adults studying in yeshivas are exempt from mandatory army service. Charedi leaders say army service would corrupt their youth and distract them from their studies.
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