The explosive feud between the Israeli government and the nation’s supreme court has found a new point of conflict after judges froze a bill granting ultra-orthodox believers temporary exemption from military service.The High Court of Justice issued an injunction on Thursday blocking the implementation of the law, which was passed by the governing coalition in the Knesset on Tuesday. The law, which passed the parliament with a vote of 58-54, immediately suspended law enforcement and military authorities’ capacity to arrest or prosecute ultra-orthodox draft dodgers.Justice Ofer Grosskopf wrote in his injunction that the law ran contrary to the High Court’s recent jurisprudence regarding the conscription of ultra-orthodox Jews.
“Given this court’s longstanding case law on the issue of drafting yeshiva students, the significance of freezing arrest, investigation and enforcement proceedings only with respect to certain segments of the population, and the serious arguments raised by the petitioners regarding the law’s validity, a temporary order is granted suspending the law’s entry into force until a further decision is made.”Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men scuffle with police during a protest against military recruitment and call for the release of detained draft resisters outside a military prison near Kfar Yona, Israel, Wednesday, June 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
