Draft

‘Turf him out tomorrow’: Steve Bannon calls to deport Yair Netanyahu to front lines of Iran war

Along with Yair Netanyahu and Barron Trump, the call for the children of world leaders and powerful figures to enlist is not new.

Yair Netanyahu, son of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives for a court hearing in the defamation lawsuit filed by former MK Stav Shafir in Tel Aviv, on November 29, 2022.
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett attends a Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in Jerusalem, February 17, 2026

Ex-PM Bennett slams Likud MKs for not opposing haredi draft bill, breaking coalition discipline

Young Israelis arrive to the Israeli army recruitment center at Tel Hashomer, outside of Tel Aviv on March 17, 2020.

IDF overhauls pre-draft medical screening checks during military conscription process with AI

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men clash with police following an assault on two female Israeli soldiers in Bnei Brak, central Israel, February 15, 2026.

Bnei Brak clashes reflect long-building tensions within haredi society, researcher says - interview


Letters to the Editor, February 24, 2025: Obscene comparison

Readers of The Jerusalem Post have their say.

 Letters

NGO calls on High Court to cut funding for alternative yeshivas, citing IDF draft evasion

The ultra-Orthodox IDF draft has come to a head as the Israel-Hamas war has seen reservists completing hundreds of days of duty. IDF says it needs more manpower to deal with the new security reality.

 ‘THE HAREDI leadership argues that it is forbidden to draft yeshiva students whose Torah is their profession and that they defend the State of Israel through their studies.’

IDF needs to act on recruiting haredim - opinion

Only a conscription law that includes minimal exemptions and with teeth will enable the continued defense and prosperity of the state.

IDF CHIEF OF STAFF Halevi salutes after placing a wreath during a ceremony marking a year since October 7, 2023, at the Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem. After over 14 months of intense fighting, the army’s burden has hardly decreased, says the writer

Israel Police's violence knows no bounds - comment

The Israel Police is actively adding fuel to the fire.

 A CONFRONTATION takes place between haredim and police at a protest against drafting the ultra-Orthodox into the military, outside the IDF Recruitment Center at Tel Hashomer.

My Word: Wide awake in a war

Is IDF service suitable for every single young haredi man? No. But there can no longer be an excuse for mass exemptions.

 IDF SOLDIERS take part in an army stretcher drill. Israel’s population also needs to carry its share of the burden.

Failure to draft ultra-Orthodox cost economy NIS 8.5 billion - study

These estimates were based on publicly available information and BDO estimates, and the calculation was based on conservative assumptions.

 HAREDI MEN learn at the Mir Yeshiva in Jerusalem’s Mea She’arim, Sept. 13, 2023.

Younger sisters of two observers murdered on Oct. 7 enlist to the IDF on the same day

Both girls said that they thought their big sisters would be proud of them, and the watches they inherited will help them remember to keep in touch with their parents in the weeks ahead.

 FAMILIES AND SUPPORTERS of Israeli soldiers kidnapped by Hamas from the Nahal Oz surveillance outpost on October 7 demand the release of all hostages held in Gaza, outside the home of Shas head MK Aryeh Deri in Jerusalem, earlier this week.

'Throw them in the toilet': Yitzhak Yosef urges students to 'tear up' draft orders

"What do we have without our Torah? Why did we come here—to become secular? If a draft notice arrives, tear it up. Do you have a toilet at home? Flush it down,” Yosef said.

 Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef during a shaharit prayer in the northern Israeli city of Tzfat, September 17, 2024.

Knesset debates bill to lengthen mandatory IDF service to 36 months

The expansion of the IDF's manpower is with the aim of meeting heightened security needs and reducing the burden on reservists.

 IDF soldiers operate in the Gaza Strip, August 4, 2024

Israel on its way to temporarily extending mandatory IDF service

Knesset extends IDF service to 36 months temporarily, sparking debate over fairness and military readiness amid financial concerns and opposition.

 An IDF soldier is seen wearing a Jewish tzitzit while carrying a weapon in Jerusalem, May 13, 2024