Politics Israel's army to send ultra-Orthodox conscripts soon
Ultra-Orthodox men in Israel can soon expect to be summoned by the army. The army has announced that it will be sending call-up notices to strictly religious men from Sunday. The army did not say how many men it would write to in order to take part in the selection process for the upcoming recruitment.
16.07.2024, 19:02
SDA
According to a recent ruling by the highest court, ultra-Orthodox men must now also be obliged to perform military service. For decades, exceptions were made for them. However, these expired and the government failed to pass a law to cement the exemptions for the strict religious.
In view of the months-long war against the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the army had recently warned of a drastic shortage of combat-ready soldiers. In addition, many Israelis feel it is unfair that ultra-Orthodox Jews were previously not allowed to serve in the armed forces and were exempt from dangerous combat missions. Many ultra-Orthodox Jews see military service as a threat to their pious lifestyle, partly because women and men serve together.
