On Sunday, the High Court of Justice issued a provisional order requiring the government to explain why it has failed to issue a sufficient number of draft notices to chareidi yeshiva students and why it has not enforced the conscription orders that were already sent.
The government was instructed to submit a written response addressing these failures by June 24.
By issuing a provisional order, the court effectively shifted the burden of proof onto the government — specifically the defense minister and other respondents — suggesting the court sees substance to the petition.
This latest development comes as part of petitions urging the High Court to compel the government to implement its June 2024 decision, which ruled that there was no longer a valid legal framework allowing blanket military service exemptions for chareidi yeshiva students, and that the state must begin drafting them.
Following last year’s ruling, the IDF dispatched 18,915 initial draft notices to eligible chareidi yeshiva students in multiple waves from July 2024 through March 2025.
Despite these efforts, only about two percent of those who received draft notices have enlisted, leaving roughly 70,000 eligible chareidi yeshiva students who remain outside of military service.
The Movement for Quality Government in Israel — the organization behind the petition that led to the June 2024 ruling — filed another petition that July, demanding that the court require the government to fully implement the decision.
Earlier this month, the Movement submitted a further motion, highlighting the extremely low enlistment rate, the failure to issue draft notices to tens of thousands of eligible students, and the lack of meaningful enforcement against those who ignored their conscription orders.
In its latest request, the group asked the court to direct the government to immediately distribute draft notices to all eligible chareidi yeshiva students and to intensify enforcement efforts against those who received notices but failed to report for initial processing.
Currently, the IDF and Defense Ministry have limited enforcement tools available, primarily consisting of travel bans and arrests by military police leading to detention in military facilities.
In its provisional order, the court demanded that the government explain “Why it should not issue, or continue to issue, conscription orders for candidates for security service… in a scope appropriate to the needs of the army, as has been presented… by professional officials in the army.”
Military officials have reported that the IDF is grappling with a significant shortage of personnel, with an immediate need for around 12,000 additional soldiers — including approximately 7,000 combat troops.
The High Court also instructed the state to clarify “why it should not act to enforce the orders that were issued, including by taking effective, personal enforcement measures against those who were issued with orders but did not present themselves [to the army].”
In response, the Movement for Quality Government hailed the court’s action as “a significant step” toward ensuring that chareidi yeshiva students are drafted.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s chareidi coalition partners have been actively advocating for legislation that would formally codify military service exemptions for yeshiva students and other members of the chareidi community in light of the court’s decision.
{Matzav.com Israel}