This article is from: srnnews.com
Israel’s Supreme Court Hears Haredi Draft Arrest Law Petition
By The Media Line Staff
Israel’s High Court of Justice began hearing petitions Monday seeking to overturn a law that bars police from arresting ultra-Orthodox students who evade mandatory military service, as the attorney general and the Knesset’s legal adviser argued the measure is unconstitutional and should be struck down.
The law, passed by the governing coalition earlier this month, would suspend arrests of ultra-Orthodox draft evaders for seven months. Less than 24 hours after its passage, the High Court issued a temporary order freezing its implementation, citing concerns that the measure is discriminatory because ultra-Orthodox draft dodgers would be shielded from arrest while other draft evaders would remain subject to criminal enforcement.
The government is boycotting the proceedings and did not send representatives to the hearing.
Deputy Supreme Court President Noam Sohlberg is presiding over the nine-judge panel, which also includes Justices Daphne Barak-Erez, David Mintz, Yael Willner, Ofer Grosskopf, Alex Stein, Gila Canfy Steinitz, Yechiel Kasher and Ruth Ronnen.
Attorney Enar Helman, representing Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, urged the court to invalidate the law, calling it “an invalid and harmful law” that “does not meet even one component of the limitation clause.”
Helman argued that lawmakers ignored repeated legal warnings during the legislative process. “The red lights were there from the beginning,” he said, adding that “a law that harms and creates discrimination in criminal enforcement cannot stand even for a week. Such a law cannot be legislated.”
Attorney Yitzhak Barat, representing the Knesset Legal Adviser, also urged the court to invalidate the measure.
“There is no choice but to strike down the law,” Barat said, arguing it violated the Knesset’s own legislative procedures and Israel’s Basic Laws while creating unequal treatment by preventing criminal enforcement against ultra-Orthodox draft evaders.
Around 72,000 ultra-Orthodox men between the ages of 18 and 24 are currently eligible for military service but have ignored conscription orders. The Israel Defense Forces has repeatedly said in recent months that it urgently needs 12,000 additional recruits as fighting continues on multiple fronts.
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