Israel’s military plans to issue conscription orders for ultra-Orthodox men again this coming Sunday, according to Israeli media. Several Israeli newspapers reported on Tuesday that around 7,000 strictly religious men are to receive notices.
The former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, had authorized the sending of the call-up orders before his dismissal, the Times of Israel reported.
The military reportedly intends to send out the notices as planned. Israel Katz, the new defence minister, has not cancelled the measure.
According to media reports, around 3,000 ultra-Orthodox men already received conscription notices in the summer. However, it is said that only a fraction of them subsequently appeared at military conscription centres.
For decades, the men in Israel were exempt from compulsory military service. However, an exemption expired several months ago. The Israeli government failed to pass a law to make the concessions for the ultra-Orthodox more permanent.
Eventually, the Supreme Court issued a ruling in the summer that ultra-Orthodox men must be conscripted for military service.
The ultra-religious parties of the ruling coalition were angered by the ruling. Many ultra-Orthodox men perceive military service as a threat to their pious lifestyle, partly because men and women serve together.
Conversely, many secular people in Israel feel it is unfair that ultra-Orthodox Jews have so far not had to perform military service and have been exempted from dangerous combat missions.
In light of the wars against the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip and pro-Iranian Shiite Hezbollah militia in Lebanon, Israel’s military has warned of a shortage of combat-ready soldiers.
