Ultra-Orthodox draft

Israeli military nearing breaking point without more manpower, IDF warns Knesset committee

The reported gap in platoon commanders comes as the military continues to warn of broader manpower shortages across combat formations.

|ByAMIR BOHBOT
IDF troops operating in the Wadi Saluki area of southern Lebanon.
ULTRA-ORTHODOX Jewish men attend a rally against the imprisonment of yeshiva students who failed to comply with military recruitment orders, in Bnei Brak, June 29, 2026.

Son of rabbi who verbally attacked IDF chief says father receives no state funding whatsoever

This comes after Rabbi Aryeh Yazdi was heard cursing Zamir and calling him “accursed” and “may his name be erased.”

|By103FM
Brig. Gen. (Res) Dedi Simchi and former Minister Yizhar Shai attend a Constitution, Law and Justice Committee meeting at the Knesset, in the Israeli parliament on January 21, 2025.

Simchi vows to push unity gov't, enlistment in new political alliance with Gantz

Simchi also rejected claims that a vote for his party would effectively amount to a vote for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

|By103FM
Protesters supporting the conscription of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men into the Israeli military block a road in the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak, central Israel, in protest against the continued road blockades by ultra-Orthodox demonstrators following the arrest of draft evaders, June 26, 2026.

Ultra-Orthodox party paralyzes Knesset votes to force through military draft exemptions

The most recent proposal advanced is a bill that would halt the arrests of haredi draft evaders, which is set to be debated on Tuesday in the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

|ByKESHET NEEV

IDF cancels ultra-Orthodox Hashmonaim Brigade event for parents in Bnei Brak after haredi riot

The event was interrupted by a group of several dozen haredi extremists associated with the Jerusalem faction, who tried to break into the compound where the event was being held.

JANUARY 12, 2026ByHODIA RAN
HAREDIM SCUFFLE with police outside Jerusalem’s IDF Recruitment Center, Nov. 12.

Bus driver rams into ultra-Orthodox protesters in Jerusalem, 14-year-old killed

Thousands of haredi (ultra-Orthodox) protesters gathered in Israel's capital on Tuesday evening • Driver arrested after killing one, injuring three others • Shas: "Haredi blood is not cheap."

JANUARY 6, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM, TOBIAS HOLCMAN
Security and rescue forces are seen at the scene where a teenager was killed and three others were injured after being hit by a bus in Jerusalem, January 6, 2026

Between ultra-Orthodox draft and Knesset coalition, Israel's democracy is too complicated - opinion

The composition of our fragile coalition in the Knesset, mirrored in the cabinet, makes governing our already volatile population factions extremely difficult.

DECEMBER 27, 2025ByWALTER BINGHAM
Protests against haredi draft begins in Jerusalem, October 30, 2025.