Israeli draft

Bismuth's haredi draft bill advances in heated Knesset panel, lawmakers call it 'not nearly enough'

The continued discussions on the bill come after the chairperson of the committee, MK Boaz Bismuth (Likud), laid out his updated version of the legislation to the panel on Monday. 

Protests against haredi draft begins in Jerusalem, October 30, 2025.
Ultra-Orthodox Jews carry a banner in Hebrew that reads, “to prison and not the army,” during a “million man” protest against military conscription, in Jerusalem October 30, 2025.

'A movement takes time': How one rabbi is slowly changing the haredi draft debate

 Ultra-Orthodox Jews clash with police during a protest against IDF conscription, near Bnei Brak, March 2, 2025

Haredi conscription debate heats up with protest and bill outline reveal

Haredi protesters demonstrating against the IDF draft law blocking roads, September 18, 2025.

Equal burden on trial: What's at stake at the High Court's crucial haredi draft hearing - explainer


Haredi protesters block Jerusalem highway in protest against draft-dodger arrest orders

The police explained that rioters began to disrupt the order by blocking the traffic lanes near the String Bridge at the city's entrance.

Police declared the haredi protests illegal.

Tensions with ultra-Orthodox are second most divisive conflict in Israeli society, poll finds

The poll also shows how 83% of Israeli Jews support ensuring freedom of religion, namely, the freedom for both secular and religious citizens to live according to their own worldview. 

 An illustrative image of haredi (ultra-Orthodox) Israeli Jews near a sign for an IDF recruiting office.

Ultra-Orthodox MK Goldknopf asks Netanyahu to finance Chabad's trip to New York

This comes after the Breslov hassidim received a framework that allows for NIS 10 million to be used in their Rosh Hashanah pilgrimages to Uman, Ukraine.

 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Construction and Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf seen in Jerusalem, September 27, 2023

Highway 4 opens to traffic following Haredi protests over IDF draft arrest

The demonstrations come amid heightened tensions surrounding the state’s policies on military conscription and ongoing failures in the rehabilitation of wounded veterans.

Highway 4 near the Coca-Cola Junction was blocked Thursday afternoon as hundreds of Haredi protesters took to the streets.

Peleg Yerushalmi to hold protest, raffle for IDF draft dodgers

A flyer distributed ahead of the protest invites eligible participants to bring their draft notices and register at the event in order to enter the raffle.

 Ultra-Orthodox Jews clash with police outside the IDF Recruitment Center at Tel Hashomer, central Israel, April 28, 2025

IDF to summon over 50,000 ultra-Orthodox Jews in massive push for haredi draft

All 54,000 ultra-Orthodox Jews eligible for military service will be called on to arrive for actual service by July 2026.

 ‘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.’

Much ado about nothing: Coalition remains standing as core issues remain unsolved - analysis

The week culminated with an agreement between Shas, Degel Hatorah, Knesset legal advisers, and committees, and an ensuing failed attempt by the opposition to disperse the Knesset.

 A haredi (ultra-Orthodox) Jewish man holds a placard next to a police horse as he takes part in a protest against pressure to conscript into the military in Bnei Brak, Israel, June 5, 2025. The words in Hebrew read "We will not enlist in the enemy army."

Shas still trying to reach coalition agreement, rabbis' council head says

This comes after Rabbi Maya signed a letter on Monday opposing the conscription of any haredi individual, even those not studying in a yeshiva.

 Rabbi Moshe Maya speaks during a rally which marks one year since the death of Rabbi Shimon Hirari in Tel Aviv on February 28, 2016.

The haredi draft issue: A ticking time bomb for Israel's future - editorial

What’s been happening is that the same core domestic issue has been shoring up, threatening to break up nearly every coalition: religion and state.

 Ultra orthodox Jews clash with police during a protest against the drafting of ultra orthodox jews to the Israeli army, on road 4 near Bnei Brak, June 5, 2025.

Sanctions against draft-dodgers are ‘sparse,’ IDF says

Current sanctions against draft dodgers are “threadbare” and are not applying enough pressure on haredi men to respect draft orders.

 An illustrative image of haredi (ultra-Orthodox) Israeli Jews near a sign for an IDF recruiting office.

A year of empty promises: Edelstein talks, but no draft law yet on haredi enlistment - opinion

MK Yuli Edelstein has spent a year holding talks on ultra-Orthodox enlistment without delivering a draft law, exposing a gap between his rhetoric and real progress.

A group of ultra-Orthodox Jews blocked traffic and the light rail  in Jerusalem demonstrating against a Haredi draft into the IDF. February 26, 2024.