Israel’s Supreme Court on Thursday (Mar 28) ordered the country’s government to stop funding religious schools whose students don’t follow Israel’s mandatory military service. This comes as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked the top court to defer by 30 days a deadline that gave his government until March 31 to come up with a new military conscription plan.
The plan is intended to address mainstream anger at exemptions granted to ultra-Orthodox Jews.
The favour of the ultra-Orthodox population — approximately 13 per cent of Israel’s population — is important for Netanyahu. Two ultra-Orthodox parties have been coalition partners in successive Netanyahu-led governments, and the apex court’s order can pose a serious threat to the PM’s governing coalition.
The conscription controversy
Israeli citizens are by law required to serve in the military and most Jewish men serve nearly three years in the military, followed by years of reserve duty, the women serve two mandatory years.
However, some citizens are exempt from this mandatory service. This includes ultra-Orthodox Jews (13 per cent of Israel’s population) and the Arab minority (21 per cent of Israel’s population).
While, as per Reuters, military conscriptions of ultra-Orthodox Haredi Jews is a decades-old controversy, it has become especially sensitive these days.
Due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, the nation’s armed forces, made up mostly of teenaged conscripts and older civilians mobilised for reserve duty, have been waging a nearly six-month-old war in the Gaza Strip.
Reuters reports that as per a senior Israeli official’s estimates, only about five per cent of the nation’s population was taking part in the Gaza war.
On Monday, a government-issued stay on mandatory conscription of the ultra-Orthodox will expire.
Ultra-Orthodox population reacts to Supreme Court order
Israel’s Ultra-Orthodox population has been demanding that their constituents be permitted to study in seminaries instead of serving in the military.
The two ultra-Orthodox parties — United Torah Judaism and Shas — in Netanyahu’s religious-nationalist coalition, have strongly criticised the ruling, referring to it as a “mark of Cain.” As per Reuters, they have pledged to fight for what they say is their constituents’ “right” to remain in seminaries. However, as of now, they have not explicitly threatened to walk out of the government.
(With inputs from agencies)
