Israel’s Supreme Court Rules Military Must Conscript Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Men

Israel’s highest judicial court ruled on June 25 that highly observant religious Jewish men should not be excluded from the country’s compulsory military requirements. It also said the Israel Defense Forces must begin recruiting more of these men for service. The unanimous decision was made by the Israeli Supreme Court, which sided with petitioners known as the Movement for Quality Government in Israel (MQG). The group had challenged the legality of exemptions protecting Orthodox Jewish scholars from the military. Israeli law has generally required men and women to serve a term of military service after they turn 18, after which they can be called up for reserve duty until they turn 40....