60,000 affected

Compulsory military service in Israel now also for the ultra-Orthodox

The dispute over conscription, which has been smouldering for decades, has recently come to a dramatic head.(Bild: roman - stock.adobe.com)

Exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men from compulsory military service in Israel, which have been in place for decades, expired at midnight (local time) on Sunday. 

According to a decision by Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, the military is now also obliged to conscript religious students, who were previously largely exempt.

According to media reports, this involves more than 60,000 men. However, it is not expected that the military will send them conscription notices immediately, although the army has reportedly been short of soldiers since the beginning of the Gaza war.

Compulsory military service in Israel

In Israel, men are required to do three years of military service and women two years. The ruling coalition had already collapsed in 2018 over a dispute about a law that would gradually oblige more strictly religious men to serve in the armed forces. However, there are also ultra-Orthodox men who serve voluntarily. Strictly religious women are only recruited on a voluntary basis.

The dispute over compulsory military service, which has been smouldering for decades, has recently come to a dramatic head and, according to observers, could endanger Netanyahu's coalition in the medium term. This is also based on strictly religious partners who strictly reject the conscription of young men from their community.

Large demonstration against Netanyahu's government
Tens of thousands of people demonstrated against Netanyahu's government in Israel on Sunday for the second day in a row. During angry protests near the parliament in Jerusalem, the demonstrators demanded the resignation of the government, a new election and a quick deal for the release of hostages held by the Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas.

Netanyahu firmly rejected criticism of his conduct of negotiations and calls for a new election - referring to the Gaza war and the negotiations on the release of further hostages.