New Draft Law compels Haredi enlistment, punishes avoidance, and reinforces national security with structured quotas.
The Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee announced that it will begin three intensive days of deliberations next week on Israel’s long-awaited new Draft Law, after committee chair MK Boaz Bismuth published the full text today.
The legislation represents Israel’s most sweeping attempt yet to regulate the military and national service framework for Haredi yeshiva students, addressing decades of imbalance in the national burden. The proposal creates binding annual enlistment quotas, backed by sharp financial and personal sanctions for failures to meet the required targets, while simultaneously mandating army service tracks that fully preserve the Haredi way of life.
Mandatory Quotas
The law begins with
- 6,160 Haredi recruits in the first year,
- 6,840 in the second,
- 7,920 in the third,
rising by year five to half the annual Haredi draft cohort. Afterward, future targets will be set by the Defense Minister with committee approval.
Financial Penalties for Yeshivot
If recruit quotas are not met, state funding to yeshivot whose students received deferments will face steep cuts—eventually up to 80%, leaving only 20% of the original funding.
Personal Sanctions for Draft Evaders
A yeshiva student who fails to report for service without exemption will face multiple personal restrictions, including:
- Suspension of driver’s license
- Ineligibility for academic scholarships
- Restrictions on foreign travel
- Loss of housing benefits
These measures are intended to prevent chronic draft avoidance and restore legal symmetry between Haredi and non-Haredi citizens.
Automatic Expiration Clause
If quotas are missed for three consecutive draft cycles, the law will automatically lapse within a year. The Defense Minister will then be required to form an inquiry committee to identify the failures and propose corrective legislation.
Haredi-Tailored Service Tracks
To ensure smooth integration, the IDF must establish specialized, lifestyle-compatible service tracks for Haredi recruits, including strict adherence to modesty, kashrut, and gender-segregated frameworks. An advisory committee will report to the Knesset and defense establishment every six months on implementation and compliance.
The proposal is expected to spark fierce debate, but supporters argue it is the first serious attempt to balance national security needs with religious accommodations, ending the decades-long deadlock surrounding Haredi enlistment.
