Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Yuli Edelstein, delivers a statement to the media on the military draft law at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, in Jerusalem, July 15, 2025. (Photo: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Outgoing chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Knesset Member Yuli Edelstein, published on Monday the draft of the new IDF conscription law for the first time. The draft was sent to members of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
Gradual increase in conscription targets, service deferral conditions, and personal sanctions:
The updated IDF Draft Law sets a new, relatively low annual enlistment threshold for the first year of the law’s implementation – only 4,800 soldiers, of whom at least 35% must be combat soldiers. In subsequent years, the threshold rises gradually: 5,760 in the second year, 6,840 in the third, and 7,920 in the fourth year – maintaining a consistent requirement that 35% be combat soldiers.
Starting from the fourth year, the requirement increases to 40% combat soldiers, aiming to enhance the integration of ultra-Orthodox Jewish recruits into combat roles over time. If these targets are not met, financial sanctions will be imposed on ultra-Orthodox educational institutions.
Regarding personal sanctions against ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students who fail to report for service, the measures include a ban on obtaining a driver’s license until age 23, a travel ban, and the revocation of income tax credit points.
The draft outlines the conditions under which a yeshiva student eligible for military service may defer enlistment. These include full-time study of at least 45 hours per week in a recognized religious seminary (yeshiva).
The head of the yeshiva will be responsible for ensuring that students with a service deferment are physically present, using daily biometric identification. A supervisor will be required to generate biometric data to compare against the biometric information on the student’s ID.
Regarding the conscription targets:
For 2025, the conscription target is set at 75%,
in 2026 – 75%,
in 2027–2028 – 80%,
With a goal that from 2029 onward, the target will be 100%.
If the actual enlistment rate for a given year falls below the annual minimum threshold, the associated yeshiva will lose government funding for students who received deferments.
Chairman of United Torah Judaism, MK Moshe Gafni, responded to the plan: “Yuli Edelstein released the law today only because three weeks ago he refused to do so, hoping he would remain chair of the committee, and only today realized he is being ousted. It’s hard to believe a Jewish person wrote something like this. Everything he does is political – nothing beyond that.”
Approximately two weeks ago, Kan News published clauses in the proposed exemption law that outraged the ultra-Orthodox parties. One clause concerned the use of an Exceptions Committee to approve overseas travel for those eligible for military service who have not enlisted. According to the draft, the committee will be controlled by the military. Additionally, the law stipulates that driver’s licenses may be revoked.
A third clause rejected by the ultra-Orthodox parties is the initial conscription target: 5,700 ultra-Orthodox young men in the first year instead of 4,800. According to the draft, every candidate for military service will be formally enlisted and assigned to a unit before being granted an exemption, and the sanctions will apply until the age of 30.
