Israel Draft Rift Deepens as Haredim Near 25% of Population by 2050
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · Aug 19
Israel Draft Rift Deepens as Haredim Near 25% of Population by 2050
3 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · Aug 19
Summary
Mass protests over military exemptions have pushed Israel’s ultra-Orthodox draft dispute to the center of politics as the country nears three years of war on multiple fronts.
Fewer than 10% of Haredi men reaching conscription age enlist, reflecting a doctrine that full-time Torah study is a higher duty than army service, even during wartime.
Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir called new protections from draft-evasion prosecution “inconceivable” as troops face “unprecedented sacrifice” and about 1,000 soldiers have been killed since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack.
The exemption began for a few hundred scholars after Israel’s founding but expanded over decades, while ultra-Orthodox parties gained enough influence to become likely election kingmakers.
Israel Democracy Institute estimates Haredim will make up about 25% of Israel’s population and 40% of its potential draft pool by 2050, widening fears over military burden and welfare costs.