Haredi

Knesset passes bill to extend mandatory military service to 32 months to 'meet IDF's goals'

The passage of the bill comes amid the coalition's legislative blitz before the Knesset recesses ahead of the upcoming elections. Forty-three MKs voted in favor, with 12 against and one abstention.

|ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
A vote at the plenum hall of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on July 16, 2026.
Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana oversees votes on Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi's communications sector reform bill, July 16, 2026.

What are some of the main laws pushed during Knesset's legislative blitz? - explainer

Four major bills passed during the Knesset’s final blitz, with implications for the IDF, the judiciary, state benefits and press freedom.

|BySHIR PERETS, KESHET NEEV
President of the Supreme Court Isaac Amit arrives for a hearing on petitions alleging flaws in the legislative process of the Communications Bill at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, July 13, 2026.

High Court names nine-justice panel to hear petitions on law halting arrest of haredi draft dodgers

The dispute comes after a succession of increasingly forceful High Court judgments on inequality in military service and the government’s failure to enforce the existing draft law.

|BySARAH BEN-NUN
Rabbi Baruch Mordechai Ezrachi delivers a torah lesson at Ateret Yisrael Yeshiva in Jerusalem, November 19, 2019.

Are there other lessons from October 7? - opinion

The October 7 massacre fell on 22 Tishrei – Shmini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, two days that signify the highest joy: one completing the festival of Sukkot, the other our rejoicing in the Torah itself

|ByELIYAHU HADDAD

Ultra-Orthodox protesters block Israel's Highway 4, call police 'antisemites,' injure one officer

The highway was closed between the Aluf Sade Interchange, south of Ramat Gan, and the Em Hamoshavot Interchange, north of Bnei Brak, police added.

JULY 16, 2026ByJAMES GENN
Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) children hold a sign reading that "Ir was better to die as a Jew in the Holocaust than to spiritually die in IDF camps," at a protest on Highway 4 near Bnei Brak, July 16, 2026.

Shas leader Arye Deri accuses IDF chief of 'helping the Left' with ultra-Orthodox draft stance

Deri on Zamir: 'He has lost it. What the chief of staff did... was an attempt to help the left-wing bloc' • PM hopefuls Bennett, Eisenkot swiftly condemn Shas leader's attack on IDF chief

JULY 16, 2026ByKESHET NEEV
Shas chairman MK Arye Deri attends the State Comptroller elections at the plenum of the Knesset, in Jerusalem, June 3, 2026.

Haredi women, academics file petition against Israel's new gender-segregated education law

The petition was filed hours after the Knesset approved an amendment to the law which expressly allows the Council for Higher Education to approve separate programs for men and women.

JULY 16, 2026BySARAH BEN-NUN
Activists protest against a bill promoting gender-segregated academic study tracks, introduced by MK Limor Son Har-Melech, outside the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, July 6, 2026.

Knesset approves gender-segregated graduate degree programs in late-night vote

The legislation, Amendment No. 12, 2026, was sponsored by MK Limor Son Har Melech and passed by a vote of 52-43.

JULY 16, 2026ByNAHUM PERRY
MK Limor Son Har-Melech reacts during a National Security committee meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament on March 5, 2024; illustrative.

Ultra-Orthodox protesters block roads demanding end to IDF recruitment

Some protesters were seen holding signs asking US President Donald Trump to "save" the haredis from being recruited.

JULY 15, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Haredi protesters holding signs asking US President Donald Trump to save them from being drafted, July 15, 2026.

When Shabbat becomes a battleground - opinion

I sat on my balcony watching around 50 haredi (ultra-Orthodox) men and children harass a new cafe’s patrons and staff in Jerusalem’s city center, angry that it was operating on Shabbat.

JULY 14, 2026ByATARA RUDERMAN
POLICE ARE seen dragging an ultra-Orthodox protester away during a demonstration against a cafe operating on Shabbat while secular protesters demonstrate in support of the cafe in central Jerusalem, on July 11, 2026.

Bnei Brak set to become Israel's first city with gender-segregated streets, municipality announces

The municipality issued a statement in response to the report, saying that the decision came after a letter from the city's rabbis, while it also said that it could be further expanded in the future.

JULY 14, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Ladies in Bnei Brak watching as the men leave to protest outsidem of Military Prison 10 on June 24, 2026.

Knesset votes to freeze arrests of ultra-Orthodox draft evaders amid IDF manpower crisis

Bill passes 58-54 despite legal warnings, IDF opposition • Netanyahu heckled by opposition lawmakers shouting 'disgrace' before leaving plenum ahead of the vote

JULY 14, 2026ByKESHET NEEV
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a Knesset vote on a bill to freeze arrests of haredi draft evaders, in Jerusalem, July 14, 2026

Protesters block Jerusalem roads, target light rail construction site

Police used crowd dispersal measures after protesters blocked roads near Jerusalem’s Bar Ilan Street and refused orders to leave.

JULY 14, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men clash with police during a protest against construction work on the Jerusalem Light Rail in the Bar-Ilan area of Jerusalem, June 8, 2026.

Knesset passes contentious haredi-backed bill to enshrine Torah study in Israel's Basic Law

The haredi-backed Basic Law passed its final Knesset votes after weeks of coalition tensions and warnings that it could encourage draft evasion.

JULY 13, 2026ByKESHET NEEV
MK Yitzhak Goldknopf (United Torah Judaism) attends a House committee meeting at the Knesset, July 12, 2026.