By Palestine Chronicle Staff 
This push comes amid a severe shortage of soldiers caused by the prolonged war, high casualty rates, and the military’s need to expand recruitment by approximately 10,000 soldiers annually.
The Israeli Defense Ministry announced on Friday the drafting of 7,000 ultra-Orthodox Jews (Haredi) into the Israeli military, a process set to begin this weekend, Anadolu news agency reported.
According to a statement from the Defense Ministry, draft orders will be issued gradually starting on Sunday, following evaluations by the Israeli military.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz plans to hold discussions with relevant stakeholders to devise a settlement that integrates the Haredim into the military while respecting their religious practices.
The statement did not specify how these accommodations would be achieved. However, Katz said the military’s commitment to creating “a supportive environment, allowing religious Jews to fulfill their military duties while preserving their religious lifestyle,” Anadolu reported.
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A Persistent Challenge
The recruitment of ultra-Orthodox Jews into Israel’s military has been a contentious issue, particularly since the outbreak of Israel’s war on Gaza.
On November 4, the Israeli military issued approximately 720 arrest warrants for Haredim who failed to comply with recruitment orders, as reported by the Israeli news site Calcalist.
“According to the army’s plans, the summons it issued to ultra-Orthodox youth between the ages of 18 and 26 are supposed to increase the number of ultra-Orthodox serving in its ranks to 4,800 per year,” the report stated.
This push reportedly comes amid a severe shortage of soldiers caused by the prolonged war, high casualty rates, and the military’s need to expand recruitment by approximately 10,000 soldiers annually.
Despite these efforts, the response rate among ultra-Orthodox youth remains low, raising concerns about the feasibility of reaching the target of 4,800 recruits per year.
Israel’s Ultra-Orthodox ‘Problem’ – A Threat to the Zionist Project?
In June, Israel’s Supreme Court mandated the drafting of ultra-Orthodox Jews into the military and banned financial aid to religious institutions whose students refused to enlist. The decision sparked backlash, with Israel’s former Chief Sephardic Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef urging Haredi Yeshiva students to reject enlistment notifications.
In a recording obtained by the Kan public broadcaster, Yosef reportedly stated: “All learned persons (sons of Torah) are exempt from going to the army, even if they’re deadbeats and don’t study. Anyone who receives a notification to enlist must tear it and not go.”
Protests by Haredi Jews against mandatory military service have previously led to clashes with police.
Genocide Continues
Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
Israel’s Ultra-Orthodox ‘Problem’ – A Threat to the Zionist Project?
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 43,736 Palestinians have been killed, and 103,370 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7, 2023.
Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
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The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety.
(PC, Anadolu)
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