Israel's parliament approves laws to enshrine exemption of ultra-Orthodox men from military service

Israel's parliament has approved laws to effectively halt the enlistment of ultra-Orthodox men in the military, a move by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition to secure support from religious parties ahead of fall elections. The legislation, passed in a marathon session, freezes arrests of ultra-Orthodox draft evaders and enshrines Jewish religious studies as a “foundational value” of the state. These concessions formalize a de facto exemption from compulsory military service, despite military troop shortages and public discontent. Military chief Eyal Zamir criticized the bills as “clearly and unequivocally inconsistent” with military needs, stating, “It is inconceivable that the military system under my command, which demands unprecedented sacrifice from its personnel, would be party to granting mass exemptions from prosecution.” Opposition leader Yair Lapid called the law “an utter desecration of God’s name.”