A draft bill granting military service exemptions for ultra-Orthodox young men was circulated Thursday to members of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, marking the first formal step before legislative work begins. The legislation, led by Committee Chair Boaz Bismuth of Likud, advanced after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior leaders of the Lithuanian ultra-Orthodox stream approved its promotion last week.
Bismuth said in a statement, “This is it, we’re moving forward with a balanced and responsible conscription law that serves the people of Israel.”
According to the draft, national civilian service in auxiliary units under the Prime Minister’s Office would count as military service. It defines a Haredi youth as someone who studied in a Haredi educational framework from ages 14 to 18, meaning the bill sets enlistment targets for “graduates of the Haredi education system” rather than current yeshiva students.
The recruitment targets in the published draft are higher than those in an earlier leaked version. In the first year, 8,160 Haredi young men would be enlisted into either military or civilian service. The target would fall to 6,840 in the second year, rise to 7,920 in the third, and reach at least 8,500 in the fourth. From the fifth year onward, 50 percent of each annual cohort of Haredi graduates would be drafted, counting both military and national civilian service.
Under the previous draft advanced by former committee chair Yuli Edelstein, only combat soldiers and combat support roles counted toward the quota, while national civilian service did not.
The bill also includes a system of financial sanctions tied to the recruitment targets. Yeshivas that fail to meet the goals would see their budgets reduced based on the number of students who received a draft order but did not enlist. The reductions would apply if institutions fall below 75 percent of the target in the first year, 80 percent in the second, and 90 percent from the third year onward. The cuts would not be full suspensions of funding but would apply only to students required to enlist.
According to the draft, the expanded targets and the sanctions framework were coordinated with senior rabbinic authorities to ensure the legislation would withstand a High Court challenge.
Senior officials in Agudat Yisrael said the proposal is now under review and would be brought to leading rabbis for a decision in the coming hours.
Addressing criticism that the bill enables widespread draft avoidance, Bismuth said, “This law is not here to stabilize a coalition. It is here to stabilize a country. With God’s help, we will do it and succeed.”
First published: 16:14, 11.27.25