Post True Politics and Military Deferment in Israel

Media and Society

The most important issue in debate in Israeli politics has become the status quo agreement that young members of the Ultra-Orthodox community do not serve in the army and learn Torah with their salary paid by the government. This issue has provoked a major political crisis, since secular groups claim that there is a correlation between the low rate of employment of Ultra-Orthodox men and the low rate of army service. The main argument presented by Haredi leaders in support draft exemptions relates to the value of Torah study to protect the Jewish people. This issue has been a subject of concern for the Israeli public for many years, but no agreement can be reached to address this highly sensitive conflict. This stalemate is defined by the research as post true policy – the understanding that drafting young Ultra-Orthodox could not be forced, despite continues political and legal attempts, leaving many Israelis frustrated at the fact that there is no equal share of military service. The research examines the compromised policy of the legal system in dealing with the political debate, showing that despite numerous decisions by Israel’s Supreme Court, post true policy of a status quo compromise has dominated the legal system position on the issue, with the decision not to decide and as a result maintain the long standing status quo compromise.

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