A man holds a banner as Ultra-Orthodox Jewish (Haredi) group gathers to protest against conscription in front of the Tel HaShomer military branch Tel Aviv, Israel on August 6, 2024 [Matan Golan – Anadolu Agency]

Sun 17 November 2024:

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid called Sunday for denying government funding and passports to ultra-Orthodox Jews refusing military service, Anadolu news agency reported.

“The recruitment of Haredi is a matter of values, and they must enlist,” Lapid told Israel’s Army Radio.

“If they do not, they should not receive budgets, they should not get passports, and they should not be allowed to travel to Uman (Ukraine).”

Each year, thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews travel to the Ukrainian city of Uman to celebrate the Jewish New Year.

The issue of Haredi enlistment remains contentious, with ultra-Orthodox Jews opposing compulsory military service, despite a June 2023 ruling by Israel’s Supreme Court that mandates their conscription, just like other Israeli citizens.

On Friday, Tel Aviv announced the gradual enlistment of 7,000 ultra-Orthodox Jews into the military, set to start this weekend.

The Haredi community, accounting for around 13% of Israel’s 10 million residents, traditionally avoids military service, dedicating their lives to studying the Jewish holy book, the Torah.

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Lack of soldiers

Earlier this year in June, Israel’s Walla website reported that the Israeli occupation army is suffering from a shortage of soldiers and is seeking to form a new division to carry out various tasks.

The Israeli website also reported that polls revealed that soldiers are critical of the state of uncertainty regarding the continuation of their service, their bearing a heavy burden and suffering fatigue.

There is also great anxiety among reserve soldiers due to fear of the repercussions that the continued fighting would have on their personal, family and work lives, it added.

In a related context, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that dozens of reserve soldiers announced that they would not return to military service in Gaza, even if they were to be punished.

This comes at a time when Israeli media reported that hundreds of reserve soldiers in the Israeli army have travelled abroad without informing their commanders due to the ongoing war on Gaza, where the occupation forces have suffered heavy losses over the past months.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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