# Israel’s Haredi Election

> Ultra-Orthodox men’s military exemption sparks Israel’s election crisis.
- Title: Israel’s Haredi Election · Foreign Policy | Shortify
- Summary: Ultra-Orthodox men’s military exemption sparks Israel’s election crisis. Israel’s upcoming election hinges on whether ultra-Orthodox men will enlist amid…
- Keywords: israel, haredi, ultra-orthodox, military conscription, netanyahu, election, idf, shas, united torah judaism, conscription law, military service, haredi communities
- Source: Foreign Policy — https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/10/14/israel-election-haredi-ultra-orthodox-religion-military-conscription
- Author: Anchal Vohra
- Published: 2026-10-14T00:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: israel, haredi, ultra-orthodox, military conscription, netanyahu, election, idf, shas, united torah judaism, conscription law, military service, haredi communities
## Israel’s Haredi Population Growth
Israel’s ultra-Orthodox community is the country’s fastest-growing population group, with an average fertility rate of around 6.5 children per woman.
## Haredi Population Projections
By 2050, nearly 1 in 4 Israelis is projected to be Haredi.
## Haredi Military Resistance
Haredim largely resist compulsory military service, and their contribution to the formal economy remains limited.
## Haredi Community Influence
The community has fiercely guarded its way of life, leveraging political influence in coalition governments and presenting itself as the guardian of Jewish spirituality.
## Military Shortages
Since Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has fought prolonged wars in Gaza and Lebanon as well as a confrontation with Iran, increasing the demand for military personnel.
## Draft Evaders
Around 80,000 Haredim aged 18-24 are reportedly believed to be eligible for military service but have not enlisted.
## Military Service Shortfall
The IDF has warned of a shortage of as many as 12,000 soldiers and called on the ultra-Orthodox to help fill the gap.
## Haredi Political Response
In June 2024, Israel’s Supreme Court ruled that blanket exemptions for yeshiva students could no longer be sustained without a legal basis and ordered the government to begin conscripting eligible Haredi men.
## Political Crisis
The ultra-Orthodox parties Shas and United Torah Judaism (UTJ) argued that full-time Torah study was essential to preserving Jewish religious life and opposed compulsory enlistment.
## Coalition Withdrawal
In 2025, UTJ withdrew from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition over the failure to block the compulsory draft.
## Draft Resistance
Haredi communities have mounted fierce resistance to compulsory enlistment, blocking roads and clashing with police when they came to collect draft evaders.
## Recent Clash
In a recent incident, hundreds of ultra-Orthodox protesters clashed with military police in the city of Modiin as officers attempted to arrest a Haredi man who evaded the draft.
## Draft Evaders Abroad
Officials told the attorney general’s office that more than 150 Haredi men had tried to fly abroad in the previous month alone.
## Temporary Law
In what critics regarded as a politically expedient move ahead of the election, Netanyahu’s government passed legislation earlier this year intended to temporarily prevent arrests and other enforcement measures against Haredi draft evaders.
## Law Annulled
In September, the High Court annulled the law, finding it to be in violation of the principle of equality.
## Key takeaway

Israel’s upcoming election hinges on whether ultra-Orthodox men will enlist amid military shortages and political tensions.