Ultra-Orthodox draft

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

Ahead of the protest, police said Highway 4 will be blocked between the Aluf Sade Interchange in Ramat Gan and the Em Hamoshavot Interchange in Petah Tikva.  

Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) protesters block Highway 4 over detention of draft dodger, August 12, 2026.
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

 THE ZIONIST identity didn’t overcome the Jewish identity, nor did the opposite occur: An IDF soldier puts on tefillin.

National-religious men overrepresented in IDF reserves as haredim stay absent, IDI analysis finds

HAREDI PROTESTERS block Highway 1, June 1, 2026; Illustrative.

Haredi protesters gather at Maccabim checkpoint over reported draft evader arrest - report


The haredi draft question should be decided by voters, not outgoing lawmakers - editorial

Israelis, regardless of their political affiliation, cannot reasonably be expected to support legislation that even the prime minister could not bring himself to vote for.

Ultra-Orthodox Jews scuffle with police during a protest against the drafting of haredi jews, outside an IDF Recruitment Center in Jeursalem, November 12, 2025

High Court freezes Knesset law stopping arrests of haredi military draft evaders

The court issued a conditional order hours after the Knesset approved the legislation, citing longstanding rulings on yeshiva conscription and concerns over selective enforcement.

Protests against haredi draft in Jerusalem, October 30, 2025.

Ultra-Orthodox protesters block roads demanding end to IDF recruitment

Some protesters were seen holding signs asking US President Donald Trump to "save" the haredis from being recruited.

Haredi protesters holding signs asking US President Donald Trump to save them from being drafted, July 15, 2026.

IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir has a duty to warn the government about draft evasion - editorial

Active-duty generals, as a rule, should stay out of politics, but every rule has its exception.

Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, Eyal Zamir, arrives to attend a wreath laying ceremony at Warsaw Ghetto Square at Yad Vashem on April 14, 2026 in Jerusalem, Israel.

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

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.