The Haredim are strictly observant Jews who adhere to a rigorous interpretation of Jewish law and tradition. For many, studying the Torah in religious seminaries is a central commitment that takes precedence over military service.
An estimated 100,000 Haredi men are eligible for military conscription, while about 13,000 young men from the community reach conscription age each year, according to the Israel Democracy Institute.
The roots of the arrangements allowing religious seminary students to defer military service date to the early years after Israel’s founding in 1948. Then-Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion agreed to exempt about 400 students from military service to allow for the revival of Jewish religious scholarship.
The scope of the exemptions expanded over the following decades.
In 2002, the Knesset passed what became known as the Tal Law to regulate deferments. Israel’s Supreme Court struck it down in 2012, ruling that its implementation had failed to ensure equality in sharing the burden of military service.
The Knesset later approved other temporary arrangements, but their legal framework expired in 2023 without a new law being enacted.
In June 2024, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled that the blanket exemption for religious seminary students was unlawful and that military conscription law must be applied to them. In September 2026, the court also struck down a law that had shielded Haredi seminary students from arrest and prosecution for evading the draft.
The legal developments have coincided with mounting pressure on the Israeli military.
During a May 2026 meeting of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, a military manpower planning official said the armed forces were short about 12,000 troops, more than half of whom would be slated for combat roles. The shortfall could rise to 17,000 by January 2027, the official said.
Data from the Israel Democracy Institute point to a limited response to recruitment efforts: Only 798 Haredi men joined the military out of approximately 24,000 who received initial draft notices during the 2024 recruitment year.
In the latest available annual figures, the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported in July 2026 that more than 4,000 Haredi men had enlisted in the 12 months through July 2026, including about 1,000 assigned to combat units. That compared with approximately 2,800 in the previous year.
Kobi Michael, a researcher at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies and the Misgav Institute, said the war following the Oct. 7 attacks had made the issue more sensitive, as pressure on Israel’s regular and reserve forces continued. Conscripting Haredi men, he said, could help broaden the pool of personnel available to the military.
Party Positions
The two Haredi parties, Shas and United Torah Judaism, oppose mandatory conscription and insist that religious seminary students be exempt because Torah study is a religious obligation.
The parties hold 18 seats in the 25th Knesset: Shas has 11 and United Torah Judaism has seven. Their combined strength gives them considerable leverage in coalition negotiations.
In July 2025, United Torah Judaism announced that it would not support the governing coalition unless a bill regulating the status of Haredi students was introduced.
In October 2026, Shas leader Aryeh Deri said his party would neither join nor support the next government unless the legal status of religious seminary students was resolved.
Michael attributed the difficulty of reaching a compromise to the growing political influence of the Haredim. Their parliamentary strength, he said, had enhanced their leaders’ ability to shape coalition decisions, including legislation on military conscription.
Haredim make up 13.9% of Israel’s population but account for only 10.5% of the approximately 6.5 million eligible voters residing in the country, according to data from the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics.
Other right-wing parties differ over the scope and mechanisms of conscription.
The Likud Party supports gradually enlisting Haredi men while establishing military frameworks that accommodate their religious practices and allow them to continue studying the Torah.
The Jewish Power Party, led by Itamar Ben-Gvir, supports integrating Haredim into the police and Border Police through frameworks that respect their religious obligations. The Religious Zionism Party, led by Bezalel Smotrich, favors expanding conscription and giving those who complete military and reserve service priority for certain benefits.
All three parties agree that Haredi men who do not devote themselves to Torah study should be drafted, but they do not support imposing military service on all religious seminary students.
On the opposition side, the leading parties are calling for an end to broad exemptions, although they differ over possible exceptions and how conscription should be implemented.
Yair Lapid, leader of Yesh Atid, and Naftali Bennett, head of the Together Party, have said they oppose making concessions to Haredi parties on the issue.
Bennett has pledged to conscript everyone without exceptions. Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar Party, has proposed allowing exemptions for a limited proportion of religious seminary students, capped at 3% of each annual cohort under a defined selection process.
Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats Party, has called for expanding conscription and cutting funding to institutions whose students are encouraged to evade military service. Yisrael Beiteinu, meanwhile, advocates requiring all young people to perform military or civilian service.
Michael said the dispute over Haredi conscription had moved beyond the traditional left-right divide and became a determining factor in coalition formation and political stability.
As the election approaches, the debate is about more than how many Haredi men will join the military. It also concerns the conditions Haredi parties may demand in exchange for participating in the next government — and whether a new coalition will be able to pass legislation addressing one of the most sensitive and divisive issues in Israeli politics.
Adapted and translated from the original Arabic.
