Ahead of the vote in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on the second and third readings of the law aimed at curbing the arrest of haredi draft evaders, the full text of the bill was published today.
The legislation is a temporary and time-limited order, set to remain in force from its publication in the official gazette for a defined period of less than five months.
Its purpose, as part of an amendment to the Defense Service Law, is to immediately freeze arrest, investigation, and enforcement procedures against yeshiva students who are full-time Torah learners during this interim period.
According to the official text, eligibility for this suspension is conditioned on meeting clear criteria and ongoing reporting requirements.
Draft-eligible individuals must study at a recognized yeshiva for at least 45 hours per week, or in a kollel for at least 40 hours per week, excluding official vacation periods. They are also strictly prohibited from engaging in any additional work beyond their studies. Compliance must be supported by written affidavits from both the student and the head of the yeshiva, who is also required to report monthly to the military by the 14th of each month on any student who has stopped studying.
The bill further stipulates that a yeshiva head who is fined or sanctioned due to five students will lose the authority to submit affidavits on behalf of their students.
The suspension mechanism itself creates an immediate automatic “window": from the moment the law takes effect until its expiration, no arrest, investigation, or criminal or military enforcement proceedings for draft evasion will be initiated against anyone who has declared they meet the study requirements since 1 July 2023 (or from the date their conscription obligation began, if later).
To maintain protection under the law, students must submit the required affidavits electronically to the relevant authorities within 30 days of the law coming into effect.
At the same time, special three-member review committees will be established within the IDF, chaired by a colonel from the Military Advocate General’s Corps and two lieutenant colonels from the Human Resources Directorate, to independently verify the affidavits and may request information from any government body.
While a case is under review, arrest or prosecution is prohibited, ongoing legal proceedings are suspended, and even enforcement of final judgments is halted. The law stresses that this mechanism does not constitute a permanent exemption or deferment from military service.
A major section of the bill is dedicated to oversight and sanctions for religious institutions. The Minister of Defense will appoint inspectors who, with support from the Ministry of Education’s inspection system, will conduct physical attendance checks at each yeshiva once every three months.
The law imposes a strict penalty: a yeshiva found in repeated inspections to have at least 20% of students absent will first receive a warning. If the issue is not corrected, it will be removed from the list of recognized institutions, and its students will be required to transfer elsewhere in order to maintain their status. The Minister of Defense will also be required to submit a detailed report to the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee every three months on the number and results of inspections.
For existing institutions, a transitional clause states that yeshivas included in the security-approved lists prior to the expiration of the previous arrangements will be automatically recognized when the law takes effect, while the Minister of Defense must publish and update the official list within three months.