Jerusalem, 2 December 2025 – The Israeli Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee reconvened on Monday to deliberate a controversial draft law that would formally exempt ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) Jews from compulsory military service, reigniting deep divisions within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition.
The proposed legislation, widely seen as a concession to the ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism (UTJ) parties, has exposed fault lines between secular-nationalist and religious factions in the government. Both Shas and UTJ withdrew from the coalition earlier in 2025 but have signalled willingness to return if a blanket exemption is secured.
Public broadcaster Kan News reported that Immigration and Absorption Minister Ofir Sofer (Religious Zionism) delivered a scathing rebuke during the session, labelling the bill “shameful” and vowing to vote against it even at the cost of his ministerial post. “I will vote against this law even if the prime minister fires me,” Sofer declared.
Sofer was joined by fellow Religious Zionism MKs Michal Waldiger and Moshe Solomon, who insisted that substantial amendments—particularly increased Haredi enlistment quotas—were non-negotiable preconditions for their support.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, leader of Religious Zionism, has publicly opposed a total exemption while stopping short of threatening to bolt the coalition entirely.
The committee discussions are expected to stretch into the coming week as coalition whips scramble to forge a compromise text acceptable to all partners. Without consensus, Netanyahu is unlikely to risk bringing the bill to the plenary for fear of defeat.
The urgency of the debate stems from a landmark Supreme Court ruling issued on 13 November 2025, which ordered the government to implement “effective enforcement” against Haredi draft evasion within 45 days, including criminal, economic, and civil sanctions.
Military service remains compulsory for most Jewish Israeli citizens: three years for men and two years for women starting at age 18. Arab citizens are largely exempt, while Druze and Circassian men are drafted.
Historically, Haredi yeshiva students have enjoyed near-universal deferments renewable annually until age 26, at which point they received automatic exemptions. This arrangement, once codified in the 2002 Tal Law and later struck down in 2012 and again in 2017, allowed roughly 12,000–13,000 Haredi men to avoid service each year.
The Haredi community, now numbering approximately 1.3 million people or 13–14% of Israel’s population of 10 million, argues that compulsory service undermines their religiously insulated way of life and that full-time Torah study constitutes a vital national contribution. Leading rabbis, including Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Shalom Cohen and UTJ-affiliated Lithuanian rabbis, have instructed followers to ignore call-up orders and, in some cases, “tear them up.”
Opposition leaders have accused Netanyahu of prioritising coalition survival over national security and equality before the law. Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid called the bill “a moral stain” and vowed to topple any government that passes it.
National Unity chairman Benny Gantz warned that exempting an entire sector during an ongoing multi-front security crisis—nearly 14 months after the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack—amounted to “spitting in the face” of reservists who have served multiple tours.
Defence officials have repeatedly stressed that the IDF faces an acute manpower shortage. According to IDF data presented to the committee, only about 1,200 Haredi men enlisted in 2024–2025, far below the 4,800 annual target once envisioned under previous compromise proposals.
As of December 2025, approximately 63,000 Haredi men of draft age remain unenlisted, a figure that has drawn sharp criticism from military brass and secular lawmakers alike.
With the Supreme Court’s 45-day deadline expiring on 28 December 2025, failure to pass legislation or enforce existing law could trigger contempt-of-court proceedings against government ministers and the automatic drafting of thousands of yeshiva students beginning in early 2026.
Negotiations remain fluid. Sources within the Prime Minister’s Office told Maariv that Netanyahu is exploring a phased approach: modest enlistment goals coupled with expanded state subsidies for yeshivas in exchange for Shas and UTJ rejoining the coalition.
For now, the fate of the conscription bill—and potentially the stability of Israel’s 37th government—hangs in the balance as the Knesset committee continues its deliberations under intense public and judicial scrutiny.
