Why Israel's Haredi Draft Row Has Become A Battle Over Religion, Politics And War

Israel's parliament has passed legislation that freezes the enlistment of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men, or Haredim, into the military, reigniting one of the country's oldest political disputes.

The move comes as Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heads into elections amid mounting pressure from religious coalition partners and growing criticism from the military, opposition leaders and much of the Israeli public.

With Israel's armed forces stretched by conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran, the debate has evolved beyond military recruitment into a broader struggle over religion, equality and the character of the Israeli state.

Who are the Haredim?

The Haredim, or ultra-Orthodox Jews, are one of Israel's fastest-growing communities and make up around 13% of the country's population.

Their lives are centred on strict religious observance, with many men dedicating themselves to full-time study of the Torah and Talmud in religious schools known as yeshivas.

For many Haredi families, studying sacred texts is not simply an educational pursuit, it is regarded as a lifelong religious duty that safeguards the spiritual future of the Jewish people.

This belief also shapes their view of military service. Many Haredi leaders argue that the secular environment of the Israeli military, including mixed-gender settings and exposure to lifestyles outside their community, threatens their religious identity and way of life.

Why were they exempt from military service?

The exemption continues almost since the formation of the country.

When Israel was established in 1948, the country's first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, sought to bridge the divide between secular Zionists and religious Jews. As part of an unwritten "Status Quo" understanding, about 400 elite yeshiva students were excused from military service under the principle of Torato Umanuto—"his Torah study is his occupation."

The arrangement was viewed as a temporary compromise, introduced in the aftermath of the Holocaust to help rebuild centres of Jewish religious learning that had been devastated in Europe.

However, situation has changed since then. The Haredi population grew rapidly, successive governments expanded the exemptions, and coalition politics gave religious parties increasing influence. In 1977, Menachem Begin's Likud government removed limits on the number of exemptions, transforming what had begun as a narrow exception into a broad policy affecting tens of thousands of men.

Over the years, Israel's Supreme Court repeatedly ruled that blanket exemptions violated the principle of equality before the law, but governments struggled to find a lasting political solution.

Why has the issue returned now?

After years of fighting across multiple fronts, the Israeli military says it urgently needs more soldiers. Reserve forces have been repeatedly called up, regular troops have served extended deployments and military leaders warn the burden can no longer be carried by the same sections of society.

Each year, around 13,000 Haredi men become eligible for conscription. Yet fewer than 10% enlist.

Following a Supreme Court ruling in 2024 ordering the government to begin drafting ultra-Orthodox men, the military sent around 24,000 draft notices. Only about 1,200 recruits reportedly responded.

For many Israelis whose children are serving in combat units, the exemptions have become increasingly difficult to accept.

Why is Netanyahu under pressure?

The issue has become one of the biggest political tests of Netanyahu's leadership.

His governing coalition depends heavily on ultra-Orthodox parties such as Shas and United Torah Judaism (UTJ), both of which have made preserving draft exemptions a non-negotiable demand.

Last year, they threatened to bring down the government unless legislation protecting exemptions was passed. Although they continued backing Netanyahu on several key parliamentary votes, tensions never fully subsided.

Those divisions deepened when Degel HaTorah, a faction within UTJ, announced it no longer trusted Netanyahu to deliver on his promises and called for parliament to be dissolved.

The government has since passed legislation freezing the arrests of Haredi draft evaders while also recognising Torah study as a "foundational value" of the state.

What does the Israeli military want?

The military's position has been direct.

Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir has repeatedly warned lawmakers that the armed forces cannot continue fighting prolonged wars without expanding the pool of recruits.

"I do not deal with political or legislative processes," Zamir told legislators. "I deal with a multi-front war and defeating the enemy. To keep doing that, the IDF needs more soldiers immediately."

He described recruiting Haredi men as "an existential need for the IDF, not just a matter of sharing the burden and equality."

In a separate letter to Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz, Zamir reportedly argued that the legislation protecting exemptions was "clearly and unequivocally inconsistent" with the military's operational needs.

Why has the exemption become so divisive?

For many secular Israelis, compulsory military service is more than a legal obligation—it is seen as one of the few institutions that binds together a deeply diverse society.

The idea of the Tzva Ha'am, or "People's Army", rests on the belief that every citizen should contribute equally to the country's defence.

Critics argue that exempting one community creates two different standards of citizenship: one for those expected to serve, and another for those whose contribution is recognised primarily through religious study.

The issue has become particularly sensitive after years of war, as families across Israel have seen relatives deployed for extended periods while many Haredi men remain exempt.

For the Haredi community, however, the debate looks very different.

Its leaders argue that uninterrupted Torah study provides Israel with a form of spiritual protection and that forcing young men into military service would undermine the religious traditions they believe are essential to the country's survival.

Could the draft row reshape Israeli politics?

The dispute now reaches far beyond military recruitment.

It has exposed fault lines between secular and religious Israelis, between the Supreme Court and parliament, and between the military's operational needs and the realities of coalition politics.

Opposition leaders Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett have pledged to end broad exemptions if elected, while Haredi parties insist the issue is a red line in any future coalition negotiations.

The debate also carries long-term economic consequences. Many economists argue that keeping large numbers of Haredi men outside both military service and the workforce places increasing financial pressure on the rest of the population.

With elections approaching and the wars showing little sign of ending, the Haredi draft dispute has evolved into something much larger than a disagreement over conscription.