Israeli lawmakers passed a law extending to six years the long-existing automatic exemption from conscription given by the Jewish state to ultra-Orthodox men, the parliament said Tuesday, according to AFP.
The legislation, which was approved by a vote of 49-36 out of the Knesset's 120 lawmakers, replaces a 2014 law that would have ended the exemption by 2017. The law, which enables a further three-year "adjustment period" beyond the six, is a victory to the ultra-Orthodox parties in Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's coalition.