Kan English

An expanded panel of nine High Court justices heard six petitions against the widespread military service exemptions granted to ultra-Orthodox men and the government stipends to yeshivot for students who no longer have a legal exemption. The petitions come after the recent expiration of a contentious government decision extending an arrangement for the draft exemptions, which itself expired a year ago. Advocate Shlomit Ravitsky Tur-Paz, the head of the Jacob’s Center for Shared Society at the Israel Democracy Institute, said the justices were more inclined than ever before to actually rule on the draft deferment issue that has dragged on for decades since the reality in Israel had changed, mainly because of the war and need for more soldiers. She outlined to reporter Arieh O’Sullivan the current legal situation and expanded on probable outcomes of the hearing. (photo: Amit Shabi/pool)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.