In a landmark decision on Thursday night, The Supreme Court of Justice ruled to halt significant state funding to Haredi yeshivas starting April 1.
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The ruling, addressing the contentious issue of Haredi military exemptions, has potentially far-reaching implications for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government.
"The interim decision that the High Court of Justice gave to immediately halt the yeshiva funding is a mark of Cain and an unprecedented mistreatment of Torah students in the land of the Jews," remarked Shas chairman MK Arye Deri, expressing his strong opposition to the court's ruling.
The court's decision comes after years of debate over the constitutionality of the blanket exemption for Haredi yeshiva students from military service. "The interim order is a precedent-setting step on the road to equality, and those who serve thank the court for its important decision," said the Movement for Quality of Government in Israel, welcoming the ruling as a move towards fairness.
Under the court's ruling, state funding for yeshivas will now be curtailed, affecting those students who reached military age after the expiration of the law or whose military deferrals ended after that time. "The court issued an historic interim order this evening, marking the end of unlawful discrimination in the draft," stated a representative from the organization.
However, Netanyahu, who had sought a 30-day extension to resolve the impasse with the Haredi parties, expressed concern over the impact of the decision amidst the ongoing national security challenges.
"During wartime, the only thing that Netanyahu dealt with during the last few days was to seek a blanket exemption from enlistment for Haredim, that will ensure the stability of his coalition," criticized opposition leader Yair Lapid in response to Netanyahu's letter.
The court's decision is only an interim measure, with further deliberations scheduled for May before an expanded panel of justices.
This article was first published by i24NEWS.
