In response to petitions demanding the cancellation of military service exemption for the ultra-Orthodox population, the High Court of Justice has ordered the government to explain why it should not annul a government resolution passed in June 2023, which instructed the IDF not to draft ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students for nine months, and by extension to explain why the IDF should not begin drafting such men.
The court also issued orders over separate petitions demanding that state funding for yeshiva student stipends end due to the absence of a law regulating their exemptions and the payments they receive for studying in yeshiva, which was part of the military service exemption framework until the law expired in June 2023. The state must respond to the orders by March 24.
The High Court of Justice also issued an interim order determining that yeshiva students who currently fall under the draft law won't have their service period shortened due to ongoing legal proceedings.
The draft law expired in June 2023, but the government passed a resolution suspending control over the draft in the ultra-Orthodox sector until March 31 in the hope of passing a new law by that time that would lead to greater ultra-Orthodox enlistment. The court obligates the government to explain this decision.
