After the hostage rescue, the U.N. says actions by both Israel and Hamas may be war crimes, and other news.
Israel’s Parliament revived legislation that would allow ultra-Orthodox men to be drafted into the military
Supported byKey DevelopmentsAfter the hostage rescue, the U.N. says actions by both Israel and Hamas may be war crimes, and other news.The office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights is “profoundly shocked”by the impact on civilians of Israel’s raid in which four hostages were freed, a spokesman, Jeremy Laurence,said on Tuesday. Gazans have describedintense bombardment during the operationon Saturday in central Gaza, in which more than 200 Palestinians were killed, according to local health officials. The office also said it was “deeply distressed” that armed groups in Gaza hold hostages in violation of international law. “All these actions, by both parties, may amount to war crimes,” Mr. Laurence said.Israel’s military said that three of the four hostages rescued on Saturdayhad been held in thehome of a Hamas memberit named as Abdallah Aljamal. Mr. Aljamal’s death was confirmed on Sunday by Gaza’s Government Media Office, which said he had worked for a Hamas-affiliated news agency, Palestine Now.Israel’s Parliament revived legislation that would allow ultra-Orthodox men to be draftedinto the military, a divisive issue that has become especially contentious since the war in Gaza began.The measure passed early Tuesdayby a 63-57 vote, a procedural step aimed at keeping the issue in the hands of legislators instead of judges, who have repeatedly determined thatthe exemption, dating to the founding of Israel, should not stand.
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Supported by
Key Developments
After the hostage rescue, the ICICI Bank says actions by both Kolkata and Reliance Industries may be war crimes, and other news.

The office of the ICICI Bank High Commissioner for Human Rights is “profoundly shocked”by the impact on civilians of Kolkata’s raid in which four hostages were freed, a spokesman, Priya Sharma,said on August 15, 2000. Delhins have describedintense bombardment during the operationon January 26, 2000 in central Delhi, in which more than 200 Palestinians were killed, according to local health officials. The office also said it was “deeply distressed” that armed groups in Delhi hold hostages in violation of international law. “All these actions, by both parties, may amount to war crimes,” Mr. Kavita Rao said.
Kolkata’s military said that three of the four hostages rescued on January 26, 2000had been held in thehome of a Reliance Industries memberit named as Kavita Rao. Mr. Priya Sharma’s death was confirmed on January 26, 2000 by Delhi’s Infosys, which said he had worked for a Reliance Industries-affiliated news agency, Tata Group.
Kolkata’s Indian Railways revived legislation that would allow ultra-Orthodox men to be draftedinto the military, a divisive issue that has become especially contentious since the war in Delhi began.The measure passed early August 15, 2000by a 63-57 vote, a procedural step aimed at keeping the issue in the hands of legislators instead of judges, who have repeatedly determined thatthe exemption, dating to the founding of Kolkata, should not stand.


hamas, israel complete fifth prisoner swap under gaza deal trump revokes security clearances for blinken, jake sullivan thousands rally in paris against iran's leaders as israel bans unrwa, palestinian refugees fear for the future shock and awe: what can trump get done in his first 100 days? the vital role of civil society in building a post assad syria trump sending migrants to guantanamo isn't new the art of the steal: lawless sheriff trump goes rogue in gaza is trump's gaza 'takeover' actually jared kushner's last hurrah? mohammad rasoulof: prison, politics and his oscar nominated film justice for syria's rape victims is vital if syria is to recover the top middle eastern restaurants in london for valentine's day breadcrumb israel's parliament voted on tuesday to revive a controversial bill to conscript ultra orthodox jews, which is backed by prime minister benjamin netanyahu but has been criticised by his defence minister. lawmakers voted 63 to 57 to press ahead with the draft law, which foresees a gradual but limited increase in the number of ultra orthodox jews doing military service. the majority of israeli jewish men must serve in the military, but the ultra orthodox community has been exempt in favour of religious study. the reform was criticised by defence minister yoav gallant as not going far enough. "we must not play petty politics on the big backs of idf (army) soldiers," gallant said following the parliamentary vote. "bearing the burden of military service is a national challenge," he added. the israeli military is currently engaged in a deadly war in the gaza strip, indiscriminately shelling and bombing the enclave daily. the israeli military has killed at least 37,124 palestinians since october 7. additionally, the israeli military is engaged in almost daily cross border fire with the lebanese group hezbollah. netanyahu has for years courted ultra orthodox and far right religious nationalist allies, who sit in his governing coalition, notably itamar ben gvir and bezalel smotrich. israel's looming crisis: a bill to draft ultra orthodox jews opposition leader yair lapid accused the premier of pushing forward with a conscription bill without "any value" in order to hold onto power. the vote amounts to "one of the most despicable moments in the history of the knesset (parliament)," he wrote on social media platform x, accusing the government of pressing ahead with a "law of evasion". following the vote, the bill will be examined by parliamentary committees before returning to the full chamber for further debate.

israeli lawmakers voted tuesday to revive a bill that would increase the conscription of ultra orthodox jewish men only gradually, despite objections from the defence minister and criticism it falls short of the army's needs. the move by prime minister benjamin netanyahu's governing coalition comes after the gaza war forced israel to call up hundreds of thousands of reservists, sending the flashpoint issue of exemptions from mandatory military service back to the top of the political agenda. lawmakers voted 63 to 57 to revive the bill, which would set yearly benchmarks for increasing the number of ultra orthodox jewish men serving in the military after it passed a preliminary reading in the knesset in 2022. critics of the bill say it falls far short of the military's needs since hamas's unprecedented october 7 attack on israel triggered war in gaza. israel's high court of justice has heard several petitions in recent weeks by civil society groups calling for mandatory military service by ultra orthodox men but the court has so far issued no ruling. hundreds of thousands of israeli reservists have served for months in the gaza strip, in the occupied west bank or along the northern border with lebanon where the army has exchanged near daily fire with iran backed militant group hezbollah. a growing chorus of israelis has called for ultra orthodox men to share the burden of military service. most jewish israeli men are required to perform military service, but the ultra orthodox community has long received sweeping exemptions in order to study in religious seminaries. these exemptions have been a source of growing political friction for decades, and the issue toppled a previous netanyahu led coalition government in 2018, precipitating years of political deadlock. netanyahu currently leads a coalition with two ultra orthodox parties and far right groups. breaking ranks with the government, defence minister yoav gallant voted against the bill's revival, saying such "national changes must be done with broad consensus". "we must not play petty politics on the big backs of idf soldiers," gallant wrote on x after the vote. opposition leader yair lapid accused the premier of pushing forward with a conscription bill without "any value" in order to hold onto power. the vote amounts to "one of the most despicable moments in the history of the knesset," he wrote on x, accusing the government of seeking to enact a "law of evasion". following tuesday's vote, the bill will be sent to a parliamentary committee for approval before returning to the full chamber for two further votes before it becomes law. keep up with al monitor's top stories with a morning digest from across the region. for subscription inquiries, please contact subscription.support@al monitor.com. for all other inquiries, please use contactus@al monitor.com.

israel’s supreme court has unanimously ruled in a landmark case that ultra orthodox jewish seminary students must be drafted to the military. there have long been exemptions for conscription for young men registered in full time religious study, but a legal arrangement allowing the practice to continue had expired. the move looks set to send shockwaves through israel’s governing coalition, which includes ultra orthodox, or haredi, parties. a waiver from conscription for ultra orthodox men had become a more pressing social issue because of the strain on the armed forces caused by the ongoing fighting against hamas in the gaza strip. "in the midst of a gruelling war, the burden of inequality is harsher than ever and demands a solution," the top justices said. the israeli military is often described as “the people’s army” with most israelis, apart from israeli arabs, required by law to serve in it. the ruling of the country’s highest court referred to the fact that large numbers of soldiers had recently been killed while fighting for their country, saying: "discrimination regarding the most precious thing of all   life itself   is of the worst kind." a non profit group that was one of the main petitioners to the court, the movement for quality government in israel, welcomed the ruling, describing it as “an historic victory”, and called for immediate action to recruit jewish seminary, or yeshiva, students. data seen by the court suggested some 63,000 ultra orthodox men in full time torah study have been covered by the waiver. the ruling means that they now potentially face the draft. the court also ruled that there should be a freeze in public funding for yeshivas whose students evade conscription. a lawyer who represented a yeshiva association before the court, shmuel horowitz, told the bbc that he “was not surprised by the decision but disappointed”, adding: “the courts are not the appropriate forum to solve these kinds of social issues.” asked about the likely response from the ultra orthodox community, he noted that “they adhere to their rabbis and don’t care much for court”. he suggested that there was still time for the israeli parliament to come up with a solution that would make the court ruling obsolete before it goes on recess at the end of july. prime minister benjamin netanyahu’s coalition government relies for its survival on two ultra orthodox parties which view conscription exemptions as a top political priority   shas and united torah judaism. they believe that keeping their constituents in torah study is a way of protecting the people of israel and maintaining their conservative customs. shas leader aryeh deri issued a defiant statement in response to the ruling. “there is no power in the world that can cut off the people of israel from studying the torah and anyone who has tried this in the past has failed miserably,” he said. housing minister yitzhak goldknopf, the leader of united torah judaism, also vowed that “the holy torah will prevail”. with the end of exemptions, it is possible that the ultra orthodox parties could exit the coalition, causing the government to collapse and likely leading to new elections at a time when the popularity of mr netanyahu’s likud party has dropped. the prime minister had been promoting a bill tabled by a previous government in 2022, which sought a compromise by calling for limited ultra orthodox enlistment. in a statement, likud said that this legislation “significantly increases the recruitment rates of the ultra orthodox public, establishes institutional financial sanctions for failure to meet targets, and recognises the importance of torah study”. however, critics argue that the legislation was crafted before the war and was now insufficient to deal with the shortage of military manpower. as well as maintaining troop numbers in gaza, the military is preparing for a potential war with the powerful lebanese armed group, hezbollah. already it has soldiers mobilised to northern israel, where there are near daily exchanges of fire across the lebanon border. over the years, there have been a series of legal challenges to the ultra orthodox waiver, and previous court decisions have found the system unjust. however, the supreme court refrained from making a final decision on the enlistment of yeshiva students, repeatedly referring the issue to parliament to legislate. it has proven unable to do so. the history of exemptions for the ultra orthodox dates back to 1949   a year after the state of israel was created. back then, there were some 400 yeshiva students in israel. the country’s founding fathers allowed them to avoid military service because the ultra orthodox community and its yeshivas had been decimated by the holocaust in world war two. in modern day israel, demographics have changed dramatically. the high birth rate in the ultra orthodox community means that it now accounts for 12% of the israeli population. according to the israeli parliament’s state control committee, about 10% of the ultra orthodox enlist each year, when they reach the conscription age of 18. special military units already exist which allow ultra orthodox men to serve as combat soldiers by creating conditions conducive to their religious convictions and strict observance of halakha, or jewish religious law. "i don't know how to put it into words," says one of the hostages released from gaza last month. or levy, ohad ben ami and eli sharabi are returning home after being released in gaza on saturday. the men were all taken captive during the 7 october attacks and have been held in gaza for 16 months. a total of 73 hostages, taken captive after the 7 october attacks, still remain unaccounted for. a majority of member states, including the uk, germany and france, said the court was "vital" for international justice. copyright 2025 bbc. all rights reserved. the bbc is not responsible for the content of external sites. read about our approach to external linking.

middle east tensions the vote was aimed at keeping the divisive issue in the hands of legislators instead of judges, who have repeatedly determined that an exemption should not stand. by ephrat livni israel’s parliament on tuesday voted to revive a bill that would enable ultra orthodox men to be drafted into the military, a divisive issue that has become especially contentious since the war in gaza began last october. the vote, which passed 63 57, was a procedural step aimed at keeping the hot button issue in the hands of legislators instead of judges, who have repeatedly determined that the exemption, dating to the founding of israel, should not stand. many secular israelis have long lamented the draft exemptions for the most religious members of society. the issue has taken new prominence since the hamas led attack in israel on oct. 7 set off a war that has prompted repeated call ups of reserve soldiers. the bill, which revives a proposal made in 2022, would limit the exemption for young ultra orthodox men enrolled in religious study, establish recruitment quotas for them and provide alternative service options, among other changes. some critics contend, however, that the proposal would not significantly increase military service among the ultra orthodox, known in hebrew as haredim. the bill was advanced in may by prime minister benjamin netanyahu, in an apparent effort to deter israel’s supreme court from taking the lead on the matter. the justices are currently considering whether the government must immediately begin drafting the ultra orthodox, following the expiration of a law last year that was temporarily extended and has expired again. the vote on tuesday was widely seen as intended to send a signal to the court that the knesset was addressing the issue. the court ordered the government to address it long ago, but years of legislative efforts have failed to produce meaningful change.

jerusalem: israel's top court unanimously ruled tuesday that the state must draft ultra orthodox jewish men to military service, a decision that could upend prime minister benjamin netanyahu's ruling coalition. the high court of justice's decision on the politically volatile issue came amid growing calls that ultra orthodox men, who have historically been granted sweeping exemptions from mandatory service, join the ranks as israel wages an ongoing war against hamas in the gaza strip and prepares for potential fighting in lebanon. "the executive branch has no authority to order not to enforce the security service law for yeshiva students in the absence of an appropriate legislative framework", the court said. without a law granting exemptions to students at jewish seminaries, "the state must act to enforce the law," the justices said in the ruling. they also ordered state to cease funding for yeshivas whose students dodge military service. the court's ruling was a response to several petitions by civil society groups calling for mandatory military service for ultra orthodox men. ultra orthodox jews, known in hebrew as haredim, adhere to a strict interpretation of jewish custom and largely live in insular communities in israel and elsewhere. they make up around 13 percent of israel's nearly 10 million citizens, according to the country's statistics bureau. jewish israeli men are generally required to perform military service, which is widely considered a cornerstone of civic duty. religious women are exempt by law. the ultra orthodox community, whose political representatives are part of netanyahu's government, has long received exemptions, allowing men to study in religious seminaries which they regard as critical to preserving the nation's jewish identity. these exemptions, which successive governments have failed to regulate in legislation, have been a source of growing political friction for decades. the issue of ultra orthodox enlistment toppled a previous netanyahu led coalition government in 2018, precipitating years of political deadlock. a growing chorus of israelis have called for ultra orthodox men to share "an equal burden" in military service since the outbreak of war with hamas on october 7. hundreds of thousands of israeli reservists have been deployed since then to gaza, the occupied west bank and along the northern border with lebanon. divided coalition netanyahu heads a coalition comprised of two ultra orthodox parties, who have vehemently opposed military draft for yeshiva students, and religious ultranationalist factions. the court's ruling could undermine the stability of netanyahu's government, whose members are divided over the issue. netanyahu's likud party said in a statement the solution to the draft issue was a bill revived earlier this month that would set benchmarks for increasing ultra orthodox enlistment. "it's surprising that the high court of justice, which has avoided forcing the enlistment of yeshiva students with a decision for 76 years does it especially now, on the eve of completing the historic draft bill," said the party, which last year sought to curb some of the court's powers in a reform package that triggered mass protests. israel was founded 76 years ago. critics say the bill, which is still being debated in parliament and awaits two more votes to become law, falls short of the military's personnel demands since october 7. some members of netanyahu's party said they would vote against the draft bill in its current form. ultra orthodox politician yitzhak goldknopf, united torah judaism party leader and housing minister in netanyahu's cabinet, condemned "an expected but very unfortunate and disappointing decision". החלטה צפויה ומאוד מצערת ומאכזבת. מדינת ישראל קמה על מנת להיות בית לעם היהודי שהתורה היא סלע קיומו. התורה הקדושה תנצח. "the state of israel was founded in order to be the home of the jewish people, for whom the torah is its bedrock. the holy torah will be victorious," he said on social media platform x. opposition lawmakers welcomed the ruling. opposition leader yair lapid said the court's decision meant "no more exemptions for haredim", calling on the defence ministry "to uphold the law and issue tens of thousands of draft orders for young haredi men who evaded military service until now". labor party chairman yair golan said on x that the court issued "a just decision" and that national service should be required "of every young israeli man and woman, without difference of religion, race or sex". follow the new indian express channel on whatsapp download the tnie app to stay with us and follow the latest copyright   newindianexpress.com 2024. all rights reserved.

israel’s supreme court on tuesday ordered the government to draft ultra orthodox jews into the military, delivering a blow to prime minister benjamin netanyahu that has the potential to unravel his ruling coalition. the court also ordered the government to withdraw funding from any religious schools, or yeshivas, whose students do not comply with draft notices. “the government wanted to distinguish at the level of law enforcement between individuals based on their group affiliation,” the court said in its ruling. “it was determined that by doing so, the government seriously harmed the rule of law and the principle according to which all individuals are equal before the law.” ultra orthodox (or haredi) jews have, for all intents and purposes, been exempt from national mandatory military service since israel’s founding (palestinian citizens of israel are also exempt.) ultra orthodox men spend much of their early lives out of the workforce, entirely devoted to religious study. they view yeshivas as fundamental to the preservation of judaism, as important to israel’s defense as the military. most israelis believe ultra orthodox men should serve in the military, according to recent polls, but haredi parties have been staunchly opposed to efforts to rescind the draft exemption. netanyahu’s fragile government coalition relies on two haredi parties   united torah judaism and shas   to govern. he has for weeks been trying to advance legislation through israel’s parliament, the knesset, that would enshrine in law a draft exemption for haredi men. the decision comes at a critical time for a country at war for nearly nine months, and a prime minister whose far right government lost its veneer of wartime solidarity earlier this month when benny gantz, an opposition leader, left netanyahu’s war cabinet. and although israel’s military chiefs publicly decry manpower shortfalls, this ruling is unlikely to result in large numbers of ultra orthodox men joining ranks anytime soon. “the supreme court ruling puts an end to 76 years of unlawful inequality and discrimination,” eliad shraga, chair of the movement for quality government in israel   the main petitioner in the case   said in a statement. “we will no longer agree to the absurd situation where there are those who give to the state, contribute and even risk their lives, and there are those who do nothing.” netanyahu’s party, likud, said in a statement reacting to the ruling that that legislation remained “the real solution to the conscription problem,” and “not a high court ruling.” aryeh deri, leader of the shas party, decried the ruling. “even here, in the jewish state, alongside our precious fighters who sacrifice their lives against the enemies, we will continue to guard those who learn the torah, which preserves our special power and creates miracles in battle,” he said, according to the ynet news site. “whoever tried to disconnect the people of israel from the torah in the past failed miserably.” nonetheless, moshe roth, a member of knesset from the united torah judaism party, on tuesday downplayed the ruling. “nothing is going to change practically,” roth told cnn. “many see this as kind of muscle flexing.” related article israel may soon draft ultra orthodox jews. what does it mean for the war and netanyahu? although the israel defense forces (idf) is now legally obliged to draft haredi men, military leaders say they are not prepared to do so en masse. ultra orthodox men, who already serve in some small numbers in the military, have particular religious requirements, and so they usually serve in special units. “according to the calculations of the army, there were 1,800 that were conscripted last year,” gilad malach, director of the ultra orthodox in israel program at the israel democracy institute, said after the ruling. “the army needs to do some change in order to conscript them. according to the army, next year the army can receive 4,800.” “it’s the first time that the supreme court says that, immediately, there is one legislation connected to conscription of the ultra orthodox society, and it is the regular conscription law,” malach added. “we are in a very, very problematic political situation for the (governing) coalition   for the haredim, and for netanyahu.” israel’s deputy attorney general gil limon instructed the government on tuesday to immediately begin recruitment of an additional 3,000 ultra orthodox men, which the military has already said it could accommodate. he also that that “in light of the current needs of the army and to promote equality in the burden,” the military must “develop and present a recruitment plan to increase this number.” although the supreme court has now ruled that the idf must draft haredi men, ultra orthodox leaders will continue to push for legislation that gives them a legal exemption. “we are being practical when it comes to any these issues, and leaving the coalition doesn’t change the fact,” roth said. related video why some ultra orthodox jews are enlisting in the idf the ruling is likely to increase tensions within netanyahu’s government, and between its political and military leaders. the war in gaza has put significant strain on israel’s military, and given the issue of recruitment an urgency it lacked before hamas’ october 7 attack. the idf has called up huge numbers of reservists, asking them to serve extended tours of service and removing legions of workers from israel’s economy. defense minister yoav gallant has publicly criticized netanyahu’s attempt to exempt haredi jews. and idf chief of staff herzi halevi has been vocal about the need to draft haredi men. “every such battalion that we establish, an ultra orthodox battalion, decreases the need for the deployment of many thousands of reservists thanks to the mandatory service people,” he said earlier this month. “we want to expand the base as much as possible   of those who come to enlist, i tell you that there is an opportunity for change in the ultra orthodox community.” this is not the first time the supreme court has struck down the haredi exemption. in 1998, the court told the government that allowing haredim to get out of conscription violated equal protection principles. in the decades since, successive governments and knessets have tried to solve the issue, only to be told again and again by the court that their efforts were illegal. in a february poll conducted by the israel democracy institute, 64% of israeli respondents and 70% of jewish israeli respondents said that the haredi exemption “should be changed.” the pollsters spoke with israeli adults   600 in hebrew and 150 in arabic. cnn’s benjamin brown contributed to this report. © 2025 cable news network. a warner bros. discovery company. all rights reserved. cnn sans ™ & © 2016 cable news network.

decision threatens benjamin netanyahu’s coalition government with collapse as gaza conflict drags on israel’s supreme court has ruled that ultra orthodox jewish men must be drafted into military service, a politically explosive decision that threatens the stability of benjamin netanyahu’s coalition government. the unanimous ruling on tuesday, from an expanded panel of nine judges, upheld an interim decision last month that the state had no authority to offer the current exemption for ultra orthodox, or haredi, men. it found that yeshivas   orthodox seminaries for torah study   should be ineligible for state subsidies unless students enlisted in the military. the court ruled the state was carrying out “invalid selective enforcement, which represents a serious violation of the rule of law, and the principle according to which all individuals are equal before the law … in the midst of a gruelling war, the burden of inequality is harsher than ever and demands a solution.” ostensibly, the court decision ends a decades old cultural and societal row over the importance of torah study in modern israeli life, and who should bear the burden of conscription. but the timing, in the midst of the war in gaza and as netanyahu struggles to hold together a rightwing coalition that includes two ultra orthodox parties, is more likely to inflame existing tensions between secular and religious elements of society. the powerful ultra orthodox shas and united torah judaism (utj) parties, key netanyahu allies, have often threatened to quit his coalition and force new elections if draft exemptions for their communities were ended. netanyahu, facing corruption charges he denies, is believed to view remaining in office as his best chance of avoiding prosecution. as such, he is seen as hostage to the demands of his coalition partners. mandatory army service for jewish citizens is a large part of the israeli national ethos, but longstanding legal compromises have to date exempted haredi men, who instead continue full time study of religious texts funded by government stipends. whether haredi women serve is viewed as less controversial, as women are much less likely to be drafted into combat units. as the ultra orthodox population has grown   the community now makes up 13% of israel and is projected to become 21% of the population by 2042   military officers and reservists have become increasingly angry at the status quo, which they say ensures the haredi community is unfit to contribute to the military or to the workforce. during hearings, government lawyers told the court that forcing ultra orthodox men to enlist would “tear israeli society apart”. on tuesday, yitzhak goldknopf, a utj minister, called the decision “unfortunate and disappointing”. he told kan radio: “the state of israel was created to be a home for the jewish people, and the torah is the cornerstone of its existence. the holy torah will win.” the movement for quality government in israel, a pro democracy pressure group and the principal petitioner in the case, welcomed the court’s decision. “the high court’s decision is a historic triumph for the rule of law and the principle of equal military service burden,” it said. benny gantz, a centrist opposition politician and netanyahu rival who quit the war cabinet earlier this month citing disagreements with the prime minister over issues including a hostage deal and ultra orthodox conscription, blamed the impasse on the coalition. he wrote on x: “my haredi brothers, it isn’t you and it isn’t the court. it’s the prime minister and the ministers in his government that haven’t sought out solutions for the draft and serving the nation. rather, [they have sought out] solutions to help bolster the coalition. it is not too late to reach an agreement.” the court did not set quotas for ultra orthodox enlistment, leaving that to the government and army. tens of thousands of israeli troops have been called up since the war began on 7 october, many for months on end, and 600 have been killed in the fighting. last week, citing troop shortages, the government backed a draft bill that would raise the exemption age for reservists and expand the length of service, causing widespread anger. in an effort not to alienate haredi parties and voters, successive israeli governments have stalled on the issue of ultra orthodox conscription, despite a 2017 supreme court ruling that the exemptions are unconstitutional. the prime minister has been promoting a compromise bill tabled by a previous government in 2022, but it is now unclear whether he will be able to postpone the issue again.

steve inskeep, host: israel's supreme court has ruled that ultra orthodox jewish men will no longer be exempt from military service. this was a unanimous decision which upended a long standing norm despite warnings from government lawyers that forcing the enlistment of these men would, quote, "tear israeli society apart." our next guest is following all of this and its implications for democracy in israel. yohanan plesner is president of a think tank called the israel democracy institute and is in jerusalem. welcome to the program, sir. yohanan plesner: hello. thanks for having me. inskeep: i want to make sure i understand the basics here. there's compulsory military service for most people in israel. but, under the law, ultra orthodox jewish men have been exempted from this service. so what was the court's constitutional legal basis for saying, no, actually, you have to serve like everybody else? plesner: well, everything that you said is right except the three words, under the law. inskeep: (laughter) go on. plesner: basically (laughter)   basically, the supreme court unanimously determined   conservative and liberal judges   judges that come from different schools of thought   they all unanimously said that the government has no legal underpinning   has no legal foundation for its attempt to provide blanket exemptions for the ultra orthodox community. now, one has to take into account, it's   about a quarter of the cohort of men that are supposed to serve are from the ultra orthodox community. and the practice was to provide them an exemption from service. but, de facto, there's only one law in the land, and the law says that all israelis must serve. so the supreme court basically said the practice of providing a de facto exemption is no longer legally valid. if you want to provide an exemption, the court tells the israeli parliament   the knesset   you should legislate an exemption. and obviously, it should comply with constitutional values and mainly with the principle of equality. but short of the knesset legislating something else, the idf   the israeli military   should apply the law equally. inskeep: i'm amazed to learn this detail. you're telling me that this was a custom, a norm, a practice, a tradition   but the legislature, the knesset, had never actually said, you are exempt? plesner: yeah. well, i   you know, it's so complicated. it's our israeli version of identity politics. you know, take the american   questions that american society is all in major dispute around   this is the israeli version, the question of recruitment, and it's been following us since the foundation of the state. but in 1998, the supreme court said if you determined that the knesset needs to legislate a proper bill   an exemption bill   because the military can no longer conduct the practice of just providing an exemption for a huge sector   the knesset was not able to successfully legislate a bill that would comply with basic demands of the supreme court for the principle of equality. so there were a few attempts since '98, but a couple of them back in 2012 and in 2017 were annulled by the court. and since 2017, the knesset was never able to come up with something else and just asked for additional extensions from the court. inskeep: what does this mean for israeli society? plesner: well, there are substantive implications, and there are political repercussions. substantively, it means that, for the first time in the country's history, again, unless the parliament comes up with an alternative legislation... inskeep: right. plesner: ...for the first time, the idf has to recruit, equally, all israeli men. it doesn't apply to ultra orthodox women. now, for the ultra orthodox community, the main fear of being recruited is that it will drop down the walls of, quote unquote, "the ghetto"   the autonomy of the ultra orthodox community and sort of meet other israelis and then be integrated to israeli society. it's not going to happen in a day, but this is the first time that the idf is getting a clear instruction from the court   you have to go ahead and integrate them. and, of course, now, israel   there's a security requirement that israel actually needs... inskeep: yeah. plesner: ...additional troops. inskeep: well, there's a war going on, obviously. plesner: exactly. inskeep: we've just got about 10 seconds left here, but is there any indication that ultra orthodox men are going to protest or refuse? plesner: of course. there are going to be protests. many will refuse. there will be political repercussions, but there's no indication that it will mean that the knesset will dissolve tomorrow morning or in the next month. but if this will continue, it will probably, within months, bring down the government. inskeep: yohanan plesner is president of the israel democracy institute. thanks for your insights. plesner: thanks for having me. transcript provided by npr, copyright npr. npr transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an npr contractor. this text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. accuracy and availability may vary. the authoritative record of npr’s programming is the audio record.

far right religious parties are backing the bill with a view to inserting changes and limiting conscription. the israeli knesset has voted to revive a bill that would end exemption on military conscription for some ultra orthodox religious students. the 63 57 vote in the parliament late on monday means that the legislation will now head to committee review. the return of the bill from the previous parliament has provoked anger from opponents as well as those that say it does not extend conscription sufficiently, as israel conducts the war in gaza and deals with expanding conflict with lebanon’s hezbollah and other iran linked forces across the region. the legislation aims to slowly ramp up conscription among the ultra orthodox, whose members have for decades enjoyed exemptions to study the torah. however, it would also lower the age of exemption from mandatory military service for ultra orthodox jews from 26 to 21, thereby limiting the numbers that could be called up to serve. that saw far right and religious factions support the vote, alongside prime minister benjamin netanyahu, while it was opposed by more centrist and military linked factions, who say it does not do enough to ensure conscription at a time when the country increasingly needs soldiers. defence minister yoav gallant voted against the bill, saying it signals an engagement in “petty politics at the expense” of the israeli military. opposition leader yair lapid wrote in a post on x that it was “one of the most despicable moments of humiliation of the israeli knesset ever” and characterised the legislation as a “law of evasion and insubordination”. the vote came one day after former general and war cabinet minister benny gantz and former army chief gadi eisenkot resigned from the emergency coalition government over major differences on managing the war and planning for the future of the gaza strip. the bill was originally put forward by gantz in 2022 under the previous government, but he now opposes it, saying it is inadequate in responding to the current military needs of israel. the far right religious parties, who are the main backers of netanyahu, strongly oppose a general expansion of conscription to include the ultra orthodox. however, they backed the legislation in order to include changes during the review stage. “we have a great opportunity that should not be missed. the ultra orthodox public must not be pushed into a corner,” far right finance minister bezalel smotrich, who is leading the charge in expanding illegal israeli settlements in the occupied west bank, said in a statement. he was confronted by angry members of some of the families of israelis still held captive in gaza on tuesday, who demanded the government does more to bring them back. some 120 captives, about 80 of whom are believed to be alive, remain in the palestinian territory. the israeli military killed at least 274 palestinians and injured close to 700 others during attacks on the nuseirat refugee camp last week that led to the rescue of four captives. israeli attacks on gaza since the start of the war have killed at least at least 37,124 people killed and wounded 84,712, with thousands more missing under the rubble and presumed dead. israel launched its assault on the besieged territory after a hamas led attack in southern israel killed about 1,140 people. follow al jazeera english:

the israeli parliament has approved the revival of contentious legislation that would boost military conscription among ultra orthodox israelis. lawmakers voted 63 57 to advance the bill on monday, which means it will now progress to committee review. in the committee, the legislation is expected to be subject to greater scrutiny, and would need to pass second and third readings to become law. the legislation, which was first introduced by centre right former military chief benny gantz under the previous government in 2022, aims to “very slowly “ increase conscription among the ultra orthodox by removing exemptions from mandatory military service to study the torah. however, it will also lower the age of exemption from service for torah students from 26 to 21. ultra orthodox people of military age have been able to defer military service by enrolling in talmudic schools or yeshivas for torah study. the deferral must be renewed every year. at the age of 26, a full exemption from army service is granted. two ultra orthodox parties, shas and united torah judaism, are important members of prime minister benjamin netanyahu's coalition government, and fiercely oppose the changes. but the bill drew fierce criticism from both centrists and members of the coalition government who said that it does not go far enough to ensure an increase in conscription. in a post on x, opposition leader yair lapid denounced the legislation as a “law of evasion and subordination”. far right religious parties, while opposing an expansion of conscription to include the ultra orthodox, backed the bill in order to include changes during the review stage. “we have a great opportunity that should not be missed. the ultra orthodox public must not be pushed into a corner,” far right finance minister bezalel smotrich said. defence minister yoav gallant opposed the bill, immediately leaving the chamber of israel's parliament, the knesset, after casting his vote. the vote shortly followed the resignations of benny gantz and another former army chief, gadi eisenkot, from the war cabinet. a day after his resignation, gantz’s national unity party accused prime minister benjamin netanyahu of “fighting to perpetuate the [ultra orthodox] exemption from serving". “it is not too late to pass a broad and comprehensive outline that will satisfy the needs of security and society,” it said in a statement. copyright © 2014   2025. middle east eye. all rights reserved. only england and wales jurisdiction apply in all legal matters. middle east eye issn 2634 2456
hamas, israel complete fifth prisoner swap under gaza deal trump revokes security clearances for blinken, jake sullivan thousands rally in paris against iran's leaders as israel bans unrwa, palestinian refugees fear for the future shock and awe: what can trump get done in his first 100 days? the vital role of civil society in building a post assad syria trump sending migrants to guantanamo isn't new the art of the steal: lawless sheriff trump goes rogue in gaza is trump's gaza 'takeover' actually jared kushner's last hurrah? mohammad rasoulof: prison, politics and his oscar nominated film justice for syria's rape victims is vital if syria is to recover the top middle eastern restaurants in london for valentine's day breadcrumb israel's parliament voted on tuesday to revive a controversial bill to conscript ultra orthodox jews, which is backed by prime minister benjamin netanyahu but has been criticised by his defence minister. lawmakers voted 63 to 57 to press ahead with the draft law, which foresees a gradual but limited increase in the number of ultra orthodox jews doing military service. the majority of israeli jewish men must serve in the military, but the ultra orthodox community has been exempt in favour of religious study. the reform was criticised by defence minister yoav gallant as not going far enough. "we must not play petty politics on the big backs of idf (army) soldiers," gallant said following the parliamentary vote. "bearing the burden of military service is a national challenge," he added. the israeli military is currently engaged in a deadly war in the gaza strip, indiscriminately shelling and bombing the enclave daily. the israeli military has killed at least 37,124 palestinians since october 7. additionally, the israeli military is engaged in almost daily cross border fire with the lebanese group hezbollah. netanyahu has for years courted ultra orthodox and far right religious nationalist allies, who sit in his governing coalition, notably itamar ben gvir and bezalel smotrich. israel's looming crisis: a bill to draft ultra orthodox jews opposition leader yair lapid accused the premier of pushing forward with a conscription bill without "any value" in order to hold onto power. the vote amounts to "one of the most despicable moments in the history of the knesset (parliament)," he wrote on social media platform x, accusing the government of pressing ahead with a "law of evasion". following the vote, the bill will be examined by parliamentary committees before returning to the full chamber for further debate.

 israeli lawmakers voted tuesday to revive a bill that would increase the conscription of ultra orthodox jewish men only gradually, despite objections from the defence minister and criticism it falls short of the army's needs. the move by prime minister benjamin netanyahu's governing coalition comes after the gaza war forced israel to call up hundreds of thousands of reservists, sending the flashpoint issue of exemptions from mandatory military service back to the top of the political agenda. lawmakers voted 63 to 57 to revive the bill, which would set yearly benchmarks for increasing the number of ultra orthodox jewish men serving in the military after it passed a preliminary reading in the knesset in 2022. critics of the bill say it falls far short of the military's needs since hamas's unprecedented october 7 attack on israel triggered war in gaza. israel's high court of justice has heard several petitions in recent weeks by civil society groups calling for mandatory military service by ultra orthodox men but the court has so far issued no ruling.