Hundreds of thousands of “ultra-Orthodox” men protested this week in the Israel city of Jerusalem in opposition to the Israel government enforcing a military draft of members of their communities. You may not hear much about the protest from American media, but a Thursday Times of Israel report provides a rundown of some of the protest activities in Jerusalem. The report also includes video and photographs of the protest.
Tag: conscription
Categories
Major Draft Resistance in Israel
Facing mounting deaths, injuries, and exhaustion among its troops in its ongoing war in Gaza, while desiring to escalate the war in Lebanon and beyond, the Israel government began in July to expand conscription to include “ultra-orthodox” men who were previously exempt. That plan, in its first month of implementation, seems not to be going well for the government.
In July, I wrote an article the title of which asked this question: “Expanding Conscription to Women to Become Law this Year?” In the article, I wrote that there were indications that the final National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to be voted on this year could include a requirement that women register with Selective Service as men are required to register — a requirement supported by many Congress members and President Joe Biden. Requiring women to register with Selective Service would put women along with men as potential conscripts should the United States government reinstate a military draft.
As I wrote in July, there has been over the last few years substantial movement toward making women subjectable to a future draft. Fortunately, it appears that the legislative action toward this goal will not reach fruition this year, though there is no sign that the effort to lay the foundation for drafting women is being abandoned.
There has been much movement in the United States government over the last few years toward women being required, like men, to register with Selective Service and thus join the pool of individuals who could be drafted into the military. Will this be the year that women will start having the threat of being conscripted hang over their heads?