FALCON POWERS – Hundreds of Haredi Jews protested on Monday outside the conscription office in Tel Hashomer against military service call-up orders, leading to clashes with the Israeli police who removed a protest tent with the slogan “Conscription Forbidden” written on it.
This comes after the army announced the start of distributing call-up orders based on a Supreme Court decision, which includes three thousand Haredim in the first phase.
Reports indicate that the ruling coalition in Israel has not yet enacted legislation to regulate the conscription of Haredim according to the Supreme Court order, which faces strong criticism from the opposition who see the government’s efforts to draft them as insufficient.
In instructions issued by the Israeli Attorney General’s office to the Ministry of Defense, it was emphasized that the conscription process must include Haredi students studying full-time in religious seminaries, and not just students who work alongside their studies.
In June 2024, the Israeli army announced the start of a conscription process for 3,000 Haredim between the ages of 18 and 26, including men working or studying in higher education institutions or holding driver’s licenses, indicating their lack of full immersion in religious study despite previous exemptions.
The Attorney General’s letter to the military establishment stressed the need to implement the judicial ruling regarding the conscription of religious school students who are required to perform military service, according to the army’s needs. The letter pointed out that the Supreme Court affirmed the lack of any legal basis to prevent the call-up of religious school students, emphasizing the necessity for the state to enforce the provisions of the Security Service Law.
