Israel’s Supreme Court has ordered an immediate end to government subsidies of yeshiva (religious seminary) students not serving in the army. At a time when Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government Is under crushing pressure on multiple fronts, could this be the issue that would dissolve his coalition and force new elections?
Yes. While the vast majority of Israelis want elections soon, this could be the insuperable problem that cannot be staved off pending the end of the intractable war in Gaza.
In perspective, exempting haredi (ultra-Orthodox) men from military service has long been a cancer eating away at the civic ethos and unity of Israeli society. It has reached the point where a Chief Rabbi of Israel threatens that haredi men will leave Israel rather than serve in the army – and many Israelis would be happy to see them go.
The practice began with Israeli’s creation, when founding Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion exempted some 400 yeshiva students from serving in the army. The number grew over the years, especially after Menachem Begin came to power in 1977 and the exemption was extended to all full-time yeshiva students. Currently an estimated 66,000 are exempted and the number will only grow is there is no change, as the haredi share of the military-age population will soon reach 23 percent.
The anger of the larger public whose sons and daughters face the burdens and risks of military service is easy to understand. And the Supreme Court, acting on the principle of equality, finally required in 1998 that the exemption, based only on Ministry of Defense regulations, be grounded in law. But the law that was passed, in 2002, was also declared unconstitutional in 2012 – on grounds of the inequalities that it preserved.
Since then the Netanyahu governments have played a complex game, seeking to avoid or delay Supreme Court’s rulings in order to preserve coalitions dependent on the haredi parties. The issue played a big role in the instability of 2019-2022 when Israel held five elections in three and a half years. And it was central in the attempt, last year, to strip the Supreme Court of its power to strike down legislation – such as laws perpetuating the exemption of an entire sector of society from basic civic responsibilities.
The 2022 Netanyahu coalition, dependent again on the haredi parties, did have on the drawing boards a law that would make the exemption permanent; it was delayed only by the protests and the war. But the high court also gave the government until April 1 to present a constitutionally-acceptable law on haredi military service, and until June 30 to pass it. Failure to do this led to the edict ending the subsidies to those avoiding military service.
Even with a “National Unity” government, Netanyahu cannot remain in power if he loses the 18 seats of the two ultra-Orthodox parties. So matters have come to a crunch. It may be possible to kick the can down the road still for a while, but a showdown on this background could come before the eventual reckoning concerning Gaza. And it has been long overdue.
As we discussed, Amen. The haredi exemption has no basis in fairness or civic responsibility.
You love to see it. Really hope this does splinter Bibi's majority and force new elections, ASAP.