Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant issued 7,000 additional army draft orders on Monday for individuals from the country’s ultra-Orthodox community, historically exempted from mandatory service until a June Supreme Court decision.
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Gallant approved the Israeli army’s “recommendation to issue an additional 7,000 orders for screening and evaluation processes for ultra-Orthodox draft-eligible individuals in the coming phase, which is expected to begin in the coming days”, the defence ministry said in a statement.
The order comes after a first round of 3,000 draft orders were sent out in July, sparking protests from the ultra-Orthodox community.
“The defence minister concluded that the war and the challenges we face underscore the [Israeli army’s] need for additional soldiers. This is a tangible operational need that requires broad national mobilisation from all parts of society,” the ministry said.
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The ultra-Orthodox account for 14 per cent of Israel’s Jewish population, according to the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI), representing about 1.3 million people.