Israel's supreme court cancels conscription exemption law

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

#WORLD NEWS SEPTEMBER 12, 2017 / 3:32 PM / UPDATED 13 MINUTES AGO

Israel's supreme court cancels conscription exemption law

Ori Lewis
4 MIN READ

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel’s Supreme Court on Tuesday canceled legislation exempting Jewish religious seminary students from military service, angering ultra-Orthodox lawmakers who could destabilize Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition.

A panel of nine justices ruled that parts of the conscription law that exempt seminary students from service were “unreasonable and unconstitutional”. It gave the government a year to resolve the matter.

For decades, the exemption from military service on religious grounds for seminary students has caused friction in Israeli society, where most Jewish men and women are called up for military service when they turn 18.

The ultra-Orthodox say that their study of the Torah is vital for the continued survival of the Jewish people and also fear that young men serving in the army would come into contact with women and with less pious elements in society.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-law-ruling/israels-supreme-court-cancels-conscription-exemption-law-idUSKCN1BN2PU

[nycbos]

1. This is one of the biggest controversies in Israel.

If you remember those HUGE social justice protests a few years ago in Tel Aviv this is one of the issues they were protesting. My Israeli friend's sister was really involved with the protests.


The Israeli secular middle class serve in the IDF and these people don't. The secular middle class work, the "religious seminary students don't." The ultra-throdox also have way more kids than the secular population.

This means a smaller group of people wind up with the burden of protecting the country which naturally causes a lot of anger. The fact that ultra-orthodox will actually have to do something to protect the country is a good thing.