Haredi draft

Finance Minister Smotrich says he won't educate his daughter to enlist in the IDF

The statement, made during a Religious Zionist Party Knesset press conference, comes as the government fast-tracks a haredi conscription bill.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (RZP) speaks at a Religious Zionist Party press conference at the Knesset in Jerusalem on February 16, 2026.
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

A haredi (ultra-Orthodox) woman is seen physically accosting two female Israeli police officers in Bnei Brak, on Sunday, February 15, 2026.

Haredi chickens come home to roost - opinion

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

IDF clashes with police over Bnei Brak incident, says attacked soldiers did not distribute leaflets


'Not the way of the Torah': Netanyahu, politicians decry violent attack on Shas MK Yoav Ben-Tzur

“This is not the way of the Torah, this is not the way of the State of Israel; these violent criminals must be dealt with severely,” Opposition head Yair Lapid stated.

 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks with MK Yoav Ben Tzur during a plenum session. November 13, 2017.

Haredi protesters attack Shas MK in Jerusalem following draft law advancement

Protesters shattered MK Ben-Tzur's car window and reportedly physically harmed him.

Ultra-Orthodox demonstrators protest at the Bar Ilan intersection in Jerusalem, following the arrest of a haredi draft-dodger.

No more splinters: Israel can no longer fund its own vilification by haredim - opinion

The haredi protest, which took place last week, displayed the 'parisitism dressed up as piety' rampant in the haredi institutions which take public funding but revile the IDF

Masses attend ‘The cry of the Torah’ demonstration in Jerusalem last month. What took place was not holiness; it was hypocrisy, the writer charges.

Opposition heads push for early elections, vow to 'fight draft-dodging law'

In the meeting, the leaders also spoke on plans to trigger early elections already in the Knesset’s ongoing winter session, rather than the scheduled date in October 2026.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) and former MK Gadi Eisenkot.

WATCH: Horse in distress at yeshiva event for IDF draft dodger sparks outrage

Yeshivat Ateret Shlomo celebrated a student who refused to serve in the IDF. The event drew outrage after a horse fell during the procession, and the yeshiva was warned for mimicking hostage posters.

 Horse in distress at yeshiva event for IDF draft dodger sparks outrage

Refusing to serve divides society: How haredi draft dodging harms Israel - opinion

Haredi communities who so forcefully asserted themselves in the city did not just make a statement about the draft, but about their relationship with the very country they call home.

Haredi protesters against the IDF draft demonstrate in Jerusalem on October 30, 2025.

Netanyahu halts meetings on haredi draft bill, sparking opposition fury

The first discussion to present the outline of the newly updated bill had been slated for Monday.

MK Boaz Bismuth, chair of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee leads a committee meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament in Jerusalem, September 17, 2025.

End the ultra-Orthodox community's exemption from IDF service - editorial

The haredi establishment defends this detachment as the protection of the Torah world, but Torah study is not the private property of one social group.

Haredi protesters demonstrate in Jerusalem on October 20, 2025.

Israeli opposition bloc would win Knesset majority if elections held today, poll shows

The poll asked respondents' views on the haredi IDF draft law formulated by the coalition government. The poll found that 43% of respondents opposed the proposed law, and 27% supported it.

MK Yitzchak Goldknopf holds his head as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looks on at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, October 20, 2025

World Zionist Congress passes key resolutions, while E1 settlements project lead to walkouts

Subjects as antisemitism and education receive overwhelming support, while more controversial matters, such as the rejection of settlement building, saw a mass walkout in the WZC.

The World Zionist Organization building in Tel Aviv, overlooking Leonardo da Vinci Street, displayes the Declaration of Independence September 12, 2023