Haredi draft

Israel 'abandoned' haredi students, education reform needed, Aliza Bloch tells 'Post' - interview

She criticized the structure of Israel's education system, arguing that the government has ceded too much responsibility for decisions affecting students to bodies outside the public sector.

Former Beit Shemesh mayor and Unity Party member Aliza Bloch in an interview with 'The Jerusalem Post.'
Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) protesters block Highway 4 over detention of draft dodger, August 12, 2026.

Haredi protesters block major Israeli highway after draft dodger's arrest

Esther Luzzatto

From forced conscription to integration by choice

Gadi Eisenkot, head of the Yashar party attends a conference in the northern Israeli city of Haifa, July 9, 2026.

Shas invokes IDF soldiers in election campaign ad, drawing Gadi Eisenkot's ire


Sharren Haskel resigns as Israel's deputy FM over bill halting arrests of haredi draft dodgers

Haskel, a member of the New Hope party, heavily opposed the bills aiming to stop the arrest of draft dodgers and to allow haredim to not be drafted into the IDF.

Deputy Minister MK Sharren Haskel attends a Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament in Jerusalem, December 2, 2025.

Knesset votes to freeze arrests of ultra-Orthodox draft evaders amid IDF manpower crisis

Bill passes 58-54 despite legal warnings, IDF opposition • Netanyahu heckled by opposition lawmakers shouting 'disgrace' before leaving plenum ahead of the vote

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a Knesset vote on a bill to freeze arrests of haredi draft evaders, in Jerusalem, July 14, 2026

'Know your place': Gotliv calls for IDF chief Zamir's dismissal after his criticism of draft law

“The chief of staff should be the number one soldier and nothing else,” Shekalim said. “He is not supposed to be a lawmaker, and he is not supposed to set policy."

MK Osher Shekalim speaks during a meeting of Special Committee for the Communications Law at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, June 29, 2026.

IDF chief Zamir clashes with Netanyahu, Katz over bill exempting haredi draft dodgers from arrests

In a sharply worded letter, Zamir said the haredi exemption law would harm recruitment and create serious security risks for the IDF.

IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir attends a Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament in Jerusalem, May 10, 2026.

Almost half of Israelis support tougher sanctions, pressure to promote haredi conscription - poll

Approximately 31% support conscription only in agreement with Haredi leadership, and 11% believe that efforts to draft Haredi men are futile and should stop.

A haredi (ultra-Orthodox) protester argues with a police officer outside the Jerusalem IDF recruitment center, April 12, 2026.

Voting rights and PACs: Solutions for the haredi draft evasion problem - opinion

Our soldiers are exhausted. Over half of our reserve soldiers have logged hundreds of days of military duty. We can’t continue to ask them to shoulder the burden alone.

The Knesset House Committee votes to advance the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) parties' bill that seeks to enshrine Torah Study in the country's Basic Law. June 30, 2026.

Haredi leadership and Netanyahu are facing the same dilemma - opinion

Haredi leadership is throwing everything at the wall: a Basic Law, road-blocking protests organized by the party, voting boycotts in the Knesset – anything to convince their base they can deliver

HAREDI DEMONSTRATORS protest in Jerusalem on July 23, 2025.

Laundering human capital: The reckless amnesty bills and their debasement of the Torah - opinion

Under the guise of concern for the world of Torah, two bills are on the table: the Basic Law: Torah Study on the one side, and the Law of Exemption from Arrests on the other. 

Haredi anti-draft protesters block Highway 4 near Bnei Brak denouncing the detention of a draft dodger, February 9, 2026.

Haredi protesters, IDF soldiers clash outside of Military Prison 10 amid draft dodging controversy

The protesters were acting violently, according to the military, and they entered a restricted military area before being forcibly removed. 

(Illustrative) Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men protest outside the Military Prison near Kfar Yona, central Israel, against the jailing of yeshiva student Shimon Biton for failing to comply with an Israeli military recruitment order, July 8, 2026.

How much will the Torah Students Law cost?

Amidst discussions on the government's betrayal of youth sent to the battlefield, the economic aspect is nearly forgotten: The Torah Students Law is bound to cause immense damage.

PM Netanyahu and MKs Goldknopf and Gafni during the vote on the Basic Law: Torah Study