Draft

Almost half of Israelis support tougher sanctions, pressure to promote haredi conscription - poll

Approximately 31% support conscription only in agreement with Haredi leadership, and 11% believe that efforts to draft Haredi men are futile and should stop.

|ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
A haredi (ultra-Orthodox) protester argues with a police officer outside the Jerusalem IDF recruitment center, April 12, 2026.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at Knesset plenum to vote in favor of Basic: Law Torah Study bill, shaking hands with Degel Hatorah leader MK Moshe Gafni, Wednesday, July 1, 2026.

Israel's hysterical Torah study bill will backfire on the ultra-Orthodox - opinion

What’s really happening is a payoff to the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) political parties, against the will of an overwhelming majority of Israelis and in direct defiance of the Supreme Court.

|ByURI REGEV
The Knesset House Committee votes to advance the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) parties' bill that seeks to enshrine Torah Study in the country's Basic Law. June 30, 2026.

Voting rights and PACs: Solutions for the haredi draft evasion problem - opinion

Our soldiers are exhausted. Over half of our reserve soldiers have logged hundreds of days of military duty. We can’t continue to ask them to shoulder the burden alone.

|ByFERN REISS
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men from the Vizhnitz Hasidic dynasty study Torah outside the Justice Ministry in Jerusalem during a silent protest against the imprisonment of yeshiva students who failed to comply with military recruitment orders, July 1, 2026; Illustrative.

Basic Law: Debasing Torah - opinion

The proposed Basic Law: Torah Study would grant constitutional status to Torah study, but in practice it would turn a sacred obligation into a political and legal instrument. That would harm Torah...

|BySHUKI FRIEDMAN

Haredi protesters break into Beit Shemesh police station in overnight riot, eight arrested

The riot occured following the arrest of an alleged draft dodger.

JUNE 1, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Ultra-Orthodox protests erupt across Israel on haredi IDF enlistment day; Illustrative.

Haredi draft debate: Equality of burden, or selective obligation? - opinion

Israel should not invoke citizenship when speaking about haredim.

MAY 31, 2026ByBENYOMIN NEMOFF
Ultra-Orthodox Jews carry a banner in Hebrew that reads, “to prison and not the army,” during a “million man” protest against military conscription, in Jerusalem October 30, 2025.

Knesset advances ultra-Orthodox daycare subsidy bill after haredi threat to back Oct. 7 probe

The legislation was sponsored by MK Moshe Gafni (United Torah Judaism) and a group of additional haredi lawmakers.

MAY 27, 2026ByKESHET NEEV
A plenum session at the assembly hall of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, May 27, 2026.

Hi-tech female artillery unit soldiers aiding in defense against Iran, Hezbollah talk to 'Post'

The Jerusalem Post interviewed a mixed female-male IDF firepower unit that is helping to fill combat manpower shortages.

MAY 20, 2026ByYONAH JEREMY BOB
Soldiers from an artillery unit stationed near the Israel-Lebanon border during the ongoing war with Iran and Hezbollah, March 15, 2026; illustrative.

Knesset dissolution bill vote set for Wednesday amid coalition crisis over haredi draft bill

Debates on draft bill to resume before vote, coalition rushes to fast-track controversial legislation ahead of dissolution

MAY 19, 2026ByKESHET NEEV
MK Boaz Bismuth seen with Haredi MK's during a plenum session at the assembly hall of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, January 14, 2026.

IDF faces looming manpower gap as ultra-Orthodox draft fight stalls service extension

The haredi draft issue is growing in urgency as the bill returned to the Knesset agenda amid a coalition crisis that may dissolve the Knesset.

MAY 17, 2026BySARAH BEN-NUN
IDF troops active in Southern Lebanon, published on April 28, 2026.

Haredi draft bill back on agenda ahead of Knesset dissolution vote

Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel told the 'Post' that Netanyahu’s coalition has exerted “massive pressure” on coalition lawmakers to vote in favor of the contentious draft bill.

MAY 17, 2026ByKESHET NEEV
MK Boaz Bismuth seen with Haredi MK's during a plenum session at the assembly hall of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, January 14, 2026.

Haredi spiritual leader gives green light for Degel Hatorah to disband gov't over draft law

Opposition leader Yair Lapid called on Monday for preparations to begin to dissolve the Knesset already next week, during a faction meeting at the Knesset.

MAY 12, 2026ByKESHET NEEV
Rabbi Dov Lando seen during a meeting to discuss the drafting of ultra-Orthodox jews to the IDF in the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak, April 5, 2024.

WATCH: Police forcefully disperse anti-draft haredi Jerusalem Faction protest at Chords Bridge

Members of the anti-IDF draft Jerusalem Faction protest blocked Jerusalem’s Chords Bridge, causing traffic disruptions as Israel Police worked to restore order.

APRIL 29, 2026ByJAMES GENN
Anti-IDF haredi activists Jerusalem Faction activists block the road under Jerusalem's Chords Bridge, April 29, 2026.

Police arrest 19 in ultra-Orthodox protests against IDF draft across Israel

Protesters attempted to block vehicles while lying in the road, addressing officers deployed at Tel Hashomer with "hateful chants." 

APRIL 12, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF, HODAYA RAN
Ultra-Orthodox demonstrators holding a sign reading "Zionism uses Jews as human shields" outside of the IDF's recruitment offices in Jerusalem, April 12, 2026.