On Monday, the Minister of Defense of Israel, Yoav Gallant, spoke to the Knesset about the need for 10,000 new recruits for the Armed Forces. However, only 3,000 of these recruits are guaranteed due to a Supreme Court decision that abolished the military service exemption for ultra-Orthodox individuals. In a closed-door session with the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Gallant explained that it would be more effective to manage the enlistment of ultra-Orthodox individuals through government decree rather than through legislation passed in parliament.
Gallant also mentioned that there had been an agreement with the ultra-orthodox community to increase the enlistment quota by 5 percent annually until it reached 50 percent of candidates within five years. Unfortunately, disagreements over regulations have prevented the finalization of this agreement. The recent Supreme Court ruling to lift the exemption has put an end to a process that has caused tensions within Israel. Following the decision, the Prosecutor’s Office instructed the Armed Forces to immediately call up 3,000 ultra-Orthodox individuals for service.
