The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will begin recruiting ultra-Orthodox men for military service starting Sunday, the Israeli Defense Forces said on Tuesday.
The military did not indicate how many individuals it would contact to participate in the selection process for the upcoming recruitment.
Ultra-Orthodox men have been largely exempt from otherwise mandatory military service in Israel for decades. But a recent decision by Israel’s highest court ordered the government to allow them to serve.
The court ruling ending the ultra-Orthodox’s exemption from military service was seen as a major setback for the far-right religious coalition that backs Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men expired three months ago and Netanyahu’s government has failed to pass a law that would enshrine the exemptions in law.
Given the months-long war against Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the army recently warned of a dire shortage of fighting-ready soldiers.
Moreover, many Israelis find it unfair that ultra-Orthodox Jews have so far not been required to serve in the armed forces and have been exempted from dangerous combat missions.
Many ultra-Orthodox Jews see military service as a threat to their religious lifestyle, in part because men and women serve side by side in the Israeli military.
