- The Media Line - https://themedialine.org -

Formerly-exempt Israelis to Receive Draft Notices; Low Expectations of Response or Enforcement

As of September 1, Israeli who used to be exempt from the draft because of their preoccupation with religious studies will be receiving conscription notices. The so-called “ultra-Orthodox,” those who live by rabbinic decree, are expected to largely ignore the notices and the army is not expected to exert much energy in trying to enforce them. Israel’s high court had nullified the law under which exemptions were the rule rather than the exception, and few firm policies have followed since the legal decree was issued. The matter is a political hot-potato for Israelis, with seemingly most of the country demanding the religious sector share the burden of army duty by either serving as other Israelis do or by performing national service instead. At the age of 18, men are drafted for 3 years and women for 2 years.