Knesset Passes Law Barring Arrests of Haredi Draft Evaders Days Before Dissolution

The Knesset passed a law on Tuesday temporarily banning the arrest of ultra-Orthodox men who have failed to report for military service, a measure that will effectively freeze most Haredi enlistment for at least the next seven months. The vote came days before parliament dissolves ahead of national elections set for October 27.

The legislation, a flagship priority of the coalition’s ultra-Orthodox partners, drew fierce opposition from legal officials, the military, reservists, and opposition parties. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir denounced the bill as inconceivable, arguing it undermines the army at a moment when the burden of service has fallen heavily on a shrinking pool of soldiers and reservists. Petitions against the law were filed to the High Court within hours of its passage, and a deputy minister resigned in protest.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left the chamber before the vote itself and did not participate, a move that prompted an opposition lawmaker to denounce him from the plenum floor.

The proceedings featured an unusual moment. At the instruction of Knesset Legal Adviser Sagit Afik, lawmakers with close relatives who stand to benefit from the legislation were required to publicly declare their conflict of interest before voting. United Torah Judaism and Shas responded with a pair of statements signed by all eighteen of their lawmakers, acknowledging such conflicts. When the declarations were read aloud in the plenum, opponents of the law reacted with vocal protest.

Supporters within the ultra-Orthodox community view full time Torah study as a spiritual obligation and a form of protection for the nation, and see conscription of yeshiva students as an existential threat to their way of life. Opponents counter that after nearly three years of war, in which reservists have served repeatedly and hundreds have fallen, the exemption has become morally and practically untenable. Public support for drafting Haredi men has risen sharply across Israeli society during the war years.

The dispute over Haredi enlistment has been the single most destabilizing issue for the coalition, and it precipitated the crisis that led to elections. With the law now on the books and the courts already engaged, the question of who serves will follow Israel directly into the campaign.