TEL AVIV Let them go to war too. Driven by nine yes, the unanimity of the judges. It is a sentence that changes many things: the Israeli Supreme Court confirms the provisional injunction of three weeks ago, returns to patch up the rifts in Israeli politics, and pronounces a verdict that could also bring down Bibi Netanyahu’s government.
There is no longer any legal basis for «granting total exemption from military service to ultra-Orthodox students of religious schools”, says the High Court. And even the haredim will have to wear the uniform from now on, because the principle of equality applies. For the supreme togas, a formal law was never approved that distinguished between those who pray and those who fight, between Torah scholars and citizens normally enrolled in the army. For this reason, the judges rule that the Netanyahu government can no longer “give financial support” – as happens now – to those who avoid the war in Gaza just because they are busy reading the Book.
Half the country has been waiting for a sentence like this for years, and this is to explain its relevance. For eight months the streets have been crowded with protests against the parties that defend the privilege of 67 thousand Orthodox young people, deemed eligible for the draft, but exempted by law from military service. «It is a historic victory», say the leaders of the Mqg, the movement that was most opposed to the Orthodox rescue: «Now the government must apply the Court’s decision without delay». Just yesterday, Monday, an increase in the days of service for reservists was approved, excluding the Haredim as usual. But in recent days the Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, smelling the air and hearing the noise of the squares, had warned: if the draft were imposed on us, our boys would leave Israel because “death is still preferable to a military uniform”.
Now, the political slap is a powerful one: the ultra-Orthodox parties, crucial to keeping Bibi’s coalition afloat, will hardly be able to resist the pressure from the yeshivahs, the religious schools. For much less, in the past, the ultra-religious parliamentarians of the Knesset were called upon to leave the majorities: in the midst of the war in Gaza, with the very hot front in Lebanon, a political crisis could also arise with unpredictable outcomes.
Those who criticize the High Court ruling point out that the ultra-Orthodox – who study the Torah in schools, neglecting subjects such as mathematics, English and science – are children who are completely unprepared for enlistment. Those who applaud note that military service offers the possibility of many roles suitable for the formation of religious people. Moshe Gafni, ultra MP, despairs: «We expected it. The Supreme Court has never ruled in favor of yeshivahs. Never! There is not a single one of those nine judges who understands the value of the study of the Torah and its contribution to the Jewish people throughout history.” «Discrimination could not continue – they comment from the Mqg – and the time has come to say it loudly: in this emergency, Israeli citizens are all equal». The clash between confessional Israel and secular Israel, which has been brewing for years, is perhaps at a turning point.
