High Court temporarily blocks law protecting Haredi draft dodgers from arrest
Israel’s Supreme Court, sitting as the High Court of Justice, on Wednesday temporarily blocked a law that froze the arrests of Haredi yeshivah students who evade military service. The judges argued that the temporary order…
Assessment
Israel's High Court has temporarily blocked a law that prevented the arrest of Haredi yeshivah students who avoid military service, citing its own long-standing rulings on conscription. The court had previously declared in June 2024 that ultra-Orthodox men must be drafted, ending a decades-old exemption system. This interim order remains until a new ruling, with an expanded panel of judges to be convened quickly. The key question is whether the court will permanently strike down the legislative protection, forcing a political crisis over military service.