Thousands of people took to the streets of Tel Aviv on Thursday to protest the exemption of ultra-Orthodox Jews from mandatory military service.
Religious Israelis have long held a privileged position in that society. Their religious schools, or seminaries, receive generous government subsidies. However, Haredi youth, as they are known in Hebrew, are practically exempt from compulsory military service.
In 1998, Israel’s Supreme Court overturned the long-standing exemption, telling the government that allowing Haredim out of compulsory conscription violated equal protection principles. In the decades that followed, successive governments and parliaments attempted to resolve the issue, but were repeatedly told by courts that their efforts were illegal.
Now, those partial attempts to preserve the ultra-Orthodox exemption may be about to end. The latest government attempt to combat the problem, which has been in place since 2018, expires at the end of March.
“There is no unity without equality!” The demonstrators were heard chanting while carrying Israeli flags.
Israeli opposition leader and former Prime Minister Yair Lapid has long criticized the exemption, saying in an “He continues to bear the entire burden.”
CNN’s Mick Crever contributed reporting to this publication.
