Tel Aviv [Israel], August 18 (ANI/TPS): An Israeli parliamentary committee narrowly approved on Monday the extension of emergency powers to summon reservists, authorising the military to call up as many as 430,000 soldiers as the war in Gaza intensifies.
The Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee voted 8-7 in favour of the measure, after the coalition failed to secure a majority last week. The order replaces one that expired in May and will remain in force until September 4. Although the authorization covers hundreds of thousands, far fewer are expected to be mobilized.
The vote came amid mounting political tension over long-standing exemptions for Orthodox Jewish men. Opposition lawmakers accused the government of exhausting reservists who have already served months in uniform while continuing to shield Haredi yeshiva students from conscription.
"The worst government in the country's history is once again issuing draft orders to the same people who have already served 400 and 500 days of reserve duty, while at the same time continuing to sponsor Haredi draft evasion," Opposition Leader Yair Lapid tweeted. Avigdor Liberman, leader of Yisrael Beytenu, echoed the criticism, saying the "draft-dodging government is betraying soldiers time and again just to maintain its alliance with the ultra-Orthodox dealmakers in the Knesset."
The issue of Haredi exemptions has become a central fault line within the coalition. In July, senior Likud MK Yuli Edelstein was removed as committee chair after refusing to advance a bill enshrining the exemption into law. On Monday, Edelstein was absent again, his seat filled by Likud lawmaker Tally Gotliv, who voted with the government.
Haredi parties, which recently quit the coalition after it failed to pass the exemption bill, did not participate in the vote.
Government officials argue the measure is essential for operational flexibility as fighting in Gaza escalates. Last week, the Security Cabinet approved an expansion of the campaign in the enclave, with the military preparing for operations around Gaza City. Tens of thousands of reservists are expected to be called up in the coming weeks, placing further strain on families and the economy.
Reservists have been repeatedly mobilised since Hamas's October 7 assault sparked the war. Emergency orders granting the army authority to summon large numbers of troops on short notice have been re-issued every few months. In peacetime, reservists must be notified well in advance and cannot be called up for extended stretches.
The last order, approved in May, allowed the army to draft up to 450,000 reservists but expired at the end of that month. The new authorisation, narrower in scope, will lapse in early September unless renewed.
The military began making plans to draft yeshiva students after Israel's High Court of Justice ruled in 2024 that exemptions for the Haredi community were illegal.
Haredi men in Israel are generally exempt from mandatory military service if they study full-time in religious seminaries, known as yeshivot. The issue has long divided Israeli society and remains politically sensitive, especially during wartime. Shas and UTJ insist on preserving these exemptions as a matter of religious principle and community identity.
However, public opposition has grown. After 22 months of war, many Israelis view the policy as unequal.
Military service is compulsory for all Israeli citizens. However, Israel's first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, and the country's leading rabbis agreed to a status quo that deferred military service for Haredi men studying in yeshivot, or religious institutions. At the time, no more than several hundred men were studying in yeshivot.
The Orthodox community has grown significantly since Israel's founding. In January 2023, the Central Bureau of Statistics reported that Haredim are Israel's fastest-growing community and projected that it would constitute 16% of the population by the end of the decade. According to the Israel Democracy Institute, the number of yeshiva students exceeded 138,000 in 2021.
Approximately 1,200 people were killed and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas's attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 50 remaining hostages, around 30 are believed to be dead. (ANI/TPS)