Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara is ordering Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to increase enforcement activities against haredi yeshiva students.
In a letter sent ahead of an upcoming Supreme Court hearing, Baharav-Miara wrote, "This situation, in which the burden of reserve duty is heavy and the security echelon clarifies that there is a need to extend the duration of compulsory military service, but the government does not use the means within its power of increasing enforcement of the draft requirement severely harms equality, and cannot be legally justified."
"I repeat my demand that you order the formulation of an organized government plan to increase the enforcement of the enlistment obligation."
Earlier this week, the State informed the Supreme Court that the cancellation of National Insurance (Bituach Leumi) payment discounts for yeshiva students who do not serve in the IDF will take effect on January 1, 2026.
The discount, currently amounting to approximately 67% off National Insurance contributions, is granted to married and unmarried yeshiva students. It will be fully revoked in two and a half months.
In its statement to the Court, the State wrote: “Following the completion of discussions among the relevant authorities regarding the necessary transition period and examining the time required for individual preparations and adjustments to the National Insurance Institute systems, the State respondents will be ready to implement the updated legal interpretation of Section 348(h) of the National Insurance Law on January 1, 2026.”
The move is a direct response to a Supreme Court ruling in early September, in which the Court accepted a petition filed by the Movement for Quality Government and ordered an end to the discounts granted to yeshiva students who are not serving in the military.
The petition argued that “in the absence of a normative framework permitting the non-service in the IDF by students in Torah institutions students, there must not continue to be a transfer of supportive funds to students who are not exempt from enlistment.”