Haredi draft

Will this election end the battle over drafting haredi men into the IDF? - analysis

In a recent poll by the Israel Democracy Institute, a proposition that the next government should draft haredim equally received the most support among a series of propositions.

Israel’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish sector has been protesting over the attempts to draft young haredi men into the military.
Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett are seen at a B'Yachad event.

Yair Lapid: The upcoming election is about what we want Israel to be - opinion

Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) men at the Tel Hashomer IDF base, August 30, 2026.

Israel's attorney-general urges High Court to cut benefits for 110,000 draft evaders

(Illustrative) A man casts his ballot at a voting station on the morning of the municipal elections, in Ashdod, February 27, 2024

Israel’s election must be about repairing society after October 7 - opinion


'Abandoning values': Yoaz Hendel accuses Religious Zionist Party of encouraging mass draft evasion

The former minister rejected reliance on Arab and haredi parties, called for a broad Zionist government, and said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should leave office.

Reservists Party leader Yoaz Hendel presents national PTSD recovery plan after October 7, May 10, 2026.

A-G asks High Court to strike down 'discriminatory' haredi draft enforcement freeze

The law passed the Knesset on July 14. Justice Ofer Grosskopf froze it the following day and ordered the state and Knesset to explain why it should not be struck down.

Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara attends a House committee meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament in Jerusalem on, June 8, 2026.

Netanyahu’s haredi gamble may become his biggest election liability - analysis

Years of concessions to haredi partners may now pose a political risk for Netanyahu, as right-wing voters express growing anger over the draft exemption issue.

PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu is seen walking past haredi lawmaker Yitzhak Goldknopf, at the Prime Minister’s Office in 2023.

Haredi draft dodgers should avoid airports, border crossings to evade arrest, yeshiva council warns

It added that yeshiva students who wish to travel abroad and have not shown up for their draft order must ensure they are allowed to fly and will not be arrested at the airport.

Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) protesters block Highway 4 near Bnei Brak during an anti-draft protest, December 22, 2025.

Mandatory service extension will not solve army manpower crisis, head of IDF personnel warns

Bar Kalifa wrote that the extension of mandatory service approved by the Knesset plenum on Thursday “does not eliminate the need to expand the pool of draftees.”

Maj.-Gen. David (Dado) Bar Kalifa, Head of the Manpower Directorate attends a State Control Committee meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament in Jerusalem, on September 17, 2025.

Over 70 mayors, council leaders file petition against haredi draft exemption law

"Studying Torah is an important value in the Jewish people, but no less important than that is the value of preserving and defending the land," the petition explained.

 Haredi men are seen protesting the effort to draft ultra-Orthodox Israelis into the IDF.

New haredi party launches, aiming to secure spot in Knesset ahead of elections

The new ultra-Orthodox Haredi Public Party led by the deputy mayor of Beit Shemesh, Moti Leitner, launched on Sunday with a large-scale advertising campaign in major haredi cities.

The Haredi Public party launched a large-scale advertising campaign at the entrances to and exits from major haredi cities on July 19, 2026.

Haredi leaders, Yahya Sinwar: Different ideologies, the same refusal to face reality - opinion

In Keinon’s reading, Gaza’s devastation was not an unforeseen consequence. It was a price Sinwar was prepared to pay in the hope of igniting a regional war that would ultimately destroy Israel.

United Torah Judaism MKs Moshe Gafni and Yitzhak Goldknopf attend a Knesset vote on a bill to freeze arrests of haredi draft evaders, in Jerusalem, July 14, 2026

Israel's government knew the risks of haredi draft evasion – and ignored them - opinion

Leadership is supposed to be about making difficult decisions for the good of the country, even when they carry political costs. What we saw this week is the opposite.

A plenum session and a vote on a bill to freeze arrests of haredi draft evaders at the assembly hall of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, July 14, 2026.

The 'most right-wing government' just outed itself as leftist - opinion

This is not a technical legal debate over exemptions. It is a fundamental strategic choice about the future security of the State of Israel.

The Knesset plenum is seen during a vote on the communications reform, in Jerusalem, July 16, 2026