TIMES OF ISRAEL
Bismuth presents bill exempting yeshiva students from IDF draft, loosening sanctions
Sam Sokol
November 28, 2025

Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Boaz Bismuth released on Thursday his long-awaited revision of a government-backed bill regulating ultra-Orthodox enlistment, paving the way for its continued advancement toward the final two readings necessary for it to become law. Bismuth’s version of the legislation would continue to grant military service exemptions to full-time yeshiva students while ostensibly increasing conscription among graduates of Haredi educational institutions. However, the proposed legislation removes various provisions from a previous draft that were intended to ensure that those registered for yeshiva study are actually studying, and cancels all sanctions on draft evaders when they turn 26. READ MORE