Tensions appear to be rising in Israel as ultra-Orthodox Jews reject the idea of ​​a conscription bill.
Israeli lawmakers are currently consideration of the bill end the exemption from military service for ultra-Orthodox men who study the religion full-time, a rule established during the founding of Israel in 1948.
There is a special army and police. units for a small number of ultra-Orthodox men who have now decided to serve. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during the opening of parliament's winter session in October that the new bill would bring in 10,000 yeshiva students over the next two years, which he called “a real revolution.”
About 24,000 draft notices were issued last year, but only about 1,200 ultra-Orthodox men, known as haredim, reported for duty, according to military testimony given to lawmakers, as first reported by the BBC.
Almost 20 years ago, Israel's High Court ruled that the long-term draft exemption was illegal. Despite the decision, the temporary measures continued until the court officially revoked the tax exemption last year. The decision triggered a domino effect requiring Haredi men to register for the draft.
Since then, major protests have erupted as lawmakers consider the bill.
Hundreds of thousands of haredi men protested in Jerusalem last month, and public outrage continued as just last week a special border police unit rescued military police officers who were trying to arrest a suspected draft evader.
Military police were attacked by a large crowd of Haredi men during an arrest attempt after they received word of the arrest through a mass messaging system called “Black Alert”, which quickly mobilizes hundreds of protesters to prevent these arrests.
Haredi politicians have also come under attack this month from some extreme ultra-Orthodox protesters who are angry over parliament's debate on the proposed law, the BBC reported.
Polls of Israelis across the country show that public support for the ultra-Orthodox call is growing.
According to the BBC, a July poll by the Israel Democracy Institute found that 85% of non-Haredi Jews support sanctions against military draft refusers. This view was supported by almost three-quarters of respondents from Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party. A significant majority of respondents were in favor of punishments such as deprivation of benefits, passports or the right to vote.
Over the past 70 years, Israel's ultra-Orthodox population has more than doubled and now stands at 14%. By the start of the Gaza War, the draft exemption of several hundred religious students had grown to 60,000 people excluded from conscription.
