Written by Dan Williams
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel's government on Thursday called for another postponement of a Supreme Court deadline to draw up a new conscription plan to address mainstream anger over exemptions granted to ultra-Orthodox Jews. .
The court was hearing an appeal that argued the decades-old waiver was discriminatory, and had originally set a deadline of March 31. This deadline was extended until April 30 at the request of the government, which claims to be busy waging the Gaza war.
In a new request, the Justice Department cited delays in appointing government lawyers and the interruption of government work on the conscription blueprint due to “significant national security events” in recent days. We requested a postponement by May 20th.
It followed Iran's unprecedented drone and missile salvo against Israel on April 13 and 14, the escalation of fighting on the Lebanon front, and Israel's attack on the southern Gaza city of Rafah as part of an offensive to crush Hamas. This appears to be referring to preparations for an invasion.
There was no immediate response from the Supreme Court.
Ultra-Orthodox draft exemptions have been pushed over the edge by Israel's military, which is made up mainly of teenage conscripts and older civilians mobilized into reserves, in a multi-front war now in its seventh month. Because of this, it has come under particular criticism.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition includes two ultra-Orthodox parties, which argue that the exemption could keep voters in religious seminaries and encourage ethnic groups that could test conservative mores. I believe this is the key to keeping us away from the Crucible Army.
Ultra-Orthodox make up 13% of Israel's 10 million population, and due to high birth rates, this number is expected to reach 19% by 2035. Economists argue that draft exemptions unnecessarily keep parts of the community out of the workforce and increase the welfare burden on middle-class taxpayers.
Israel's 21% Arab minority is also largely exempt from conscription, with men and women typically mustered up at age 18 and serve three years for men and two years for women.
The request for an extension was scorned by Yair Lapid, a secularist and opposition parliamentary leader, who accused the “reckless” government of trying to mislead the country with excuses.
“If we do not enlist together, they should not spread the slogan that we will win together,” he said in a post to X.
(Written by Dan Williams; Edited by Frances Kelly)
