Israel shields the military exemptions of the ultra-Orthodox

The Israeli parliament approved this Tuesday, by 58 votes in favor and 54 against, the law that freezes, de facto, the recruitment of young ultra-Orthodox Jews and shields them from possible criminal consequences for not enlisting in military service.The new legislation grants immunity to the ultra-Orthodox who have not responded to recruitment orders, freezes criminal proceedings already opened against current military service evaders and extends this protection to those called up in the future. In addition, it eliminates the possibility of financially sanctioning those responsible for yeshivas, the schools where the Torah and Talmud are studied, who submit false declarations about the situation of their students to prevent them from going to the army. At least those who dedicate a minimum of 45 hours per weekto studying the Torah will be considered exempt.In practice, the law also freezes the recruitment of young ultra-Orthodox men for at least seven months, as reported by various Israeli media outlets. The text sets November 30 as the expiration date for immunity. Israel will hold elections on October 27, and the law stipulates that any law that expires during the first three months of the constitution of a new Parliament remains in effect for three more months, automatically extending its effects."The law gives the Haredi parties an important political victory and reduces the chances of a coalition breakdown before the elections," Neil Quilliam, analyst for the Middle East and North Africa program at the Chatham House research center, explains to ARA. "It does not resolve the fundamental issue of military service or equality before the law, but it offers Netanyahu enough political leeway."The approval has triggered a strong political and legal controversy. For the opposition and a significant part of Israeli society, the law consolidates an unequal system in which a part of the population remains exempt from military service while the rest bears the burden of war. In fact, the legal services of the chamber themselves had opposed it. During the session, an opposition MP called Netanyahu, who was not present during the vote, a "traitor". Just minutes after the approval, several parties have filed an appeal with the Supreme Court against the law.The opposition leader, Yair Lapid, has denounced that the executive "spits in the face of the soldiers again" and prioritizes "political interests over the good of the country". On the other hand, the ultra-Orthodox deputy Meir Porush has assured that, if the Supreme Court ends up annulling the norm, the decision "will have no legal validity". Criticisms have also come from the army. The chief of staff, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, has described the proposal as "inconceivable" and assures that it is "clearly and unequivocally incompatible with the needs of the Israel Defense Forces".With an eye on the elections

The law comes after months in which the army warns of a serious personnel crisis. After more than two years of sustained war in Gaza, Lebanon, the West Bank, Syria and Iran, the Israeli military system, heavily reliant on reservists, is showing increasing signs of exhaustion. At the end of May, Zamir himself warned that he is short of at least 12,000 soldiers, a figure that could reach 17,000 in the coming months. According to the latest official data, around 80,000 ultra-Orthodox men between 18 and 24 years old could be recruited, but they have not joined the ranks.The proponents of the law, on the other hand, have argued that the arrests of ultra-Orthodox youths who do not report for military service have further reduced the willingness to enlist within this sector and that a political solution was needed to avoid an escalation of the conflict. Some ultra-Orthodox sectors do accept fighting within their own units, which make it easier for soldiers to follow religious precepts.For experts, the law is part of a pact reached with Netanyahu to secure the support of his religious partners for the coalition's legislative agenda and to reach elections on October 27 this year with stability, after an early election has been definitively ruled out. "Although Netanyahu remains the dominant player in the coalition, this episode shows that the ultra-Orthodox parties have great pressure capacity because they can credibly threaten the government's survival when their essential interests are at stake," says Quilliam.However, the controversy will hardly disappear with the approval of the norm. On the contrary, everything points to it becoming one of the main axes of the electoral campaign. "It is very likely that the opposition will argue during the campaign that the government has prioritized the survival of the coalition over the needs of the army and the principle of equality in national service," concludes the expert. In his opinion, the debate on ultra-Orthodox recruitment "can become one of the defining issues of the next elections because it concentrates much broader debates about the identity, citizenship, and future of Israeli society".