Israeli panel approves bill to suspend detention of ultra-Orthodox draft evaders

An Israeli parliamentary committee approved a bill on Sunday to suspend the detention of ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) Jews who evade mandatory military service, paving the way for final votes in the full Knesset later this week, according to local media, Anadolu reports.

The Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee approved a temporary order freezing the detention of draft evaders studying at religious seminaries, or yeshivas, Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth daily reported.

The newspaper said the governing coalition intends to press ahead with the hot-button legislation despite a legal opinion concluding that the bill “does not achieve balance, but rather deepens inequality.” The bill is expected to be brought before the Knesset for its second and third readings later this week.

Under the […]