The Supreme Court determined that the state must move quickly to devise effective enforcement protocols for Ultra-Orthodox draft evaders. Although the new bill currently being deliberated at the Knesset aims to do that, the court has yet to weigh in on whether it meets that requirement. The plan must incorporate significant steps that involve criminal prosecution, as well as broad complementary actions in the economic and civil spheres.

"The state is not authorized to refrain from drafting yeshiva students, without a legislative arrangement that allows distinguishing between them and the rest of those obligated to draft," the ruling stated. The court stressed that the government must cease granting economic benefits to evaders, stating, "As a rule, the continued granting of benefits given in direct or indirect connection to evasion of the draft duty cannot be allowed, for example those granted to a yeshiva student as such, when his presence in the yeshiva implies evasion of the draft duty." They noted that the inequality between the general public's mandatory military sevice and the de facto blanket exemption ejoyed by Haredim, was discriminatory. "This is all the more painful since Oct. 7," they wrote.

A senior official in Agudat Yisrael responded to the court decision and said, "Pass a law regulating the status of yeshiva students immediately." Minister of Aliyah and Integration Ofir Sofer told Army Radio, "The State of Israel needs soldiers and fighters, we need deeds and not wasting time. We will not agree to any unworthy law. It is expected to see practical actions like filling the Hashmonayim Brigade before advancing a law."

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"The attack in Etzion is a powerful response to talks of annexing the occupied [West Bank]," Hamas said in an official statement.

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"This is a decision of our people to expel the occupier from the bank. It's proof that our people's intifada continues in the West Bank and that the young do not renounce their struggle until the occupation has vanished and settlers are expelled," said Hamas.

Hamas also said the attack "proves" that Israel's policy of security coordination with the Palestinian Authority was a failure.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad also hailed the terror attack, issuing a statement that called it a "heroic [attack] which sends an important message."

Earlier on Thursday, Palestinian news outlets reported that the IDF was conducting operations in the Palestinian village of Bayt Fajar.

As of Friday morning, no arrests had been made.

Netanyahu: We will deepen our roots in our homeland

Laying a cornerstone for the construction of 650 new housing units in the Beit El settlement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "We promised to build hundreds of housing units – today we are doing it, both because we promised and because our mission is to establish the nation of Israel in our country, to secure our sovereignty over our historic homeland."

"We know that the land of Israel is bought in agony. Today another one of our sons fell. He was from a family that has already made a heavy sacrifice for the land of Israel. These vicious terrorists, they come to uproot – we come to plant. They come to destroy – we come to build. Our hands will reach out and we will deepen our roots in our homeland, in all parts of it," the prime minister concluded.

This article was originally published by i24NEWS.

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In a letter addressed to Poland's UN Ambassador Joanna Wronecka, whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council, Danon pushed the UN to condemn the stabbing to death of Dvir Sorek, 19, a yeshiva student and Israel Defense Forces' recruit, and stop the payment of salaries to Palestinian terrorists.

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"The attack and its glorification are the direct results of the Palestinian leadership's ongoing policy of educating and incentivizing its youth to kill Jews throughout Israel," Danon wrote in the letter. "I call upon the Security Council to condemn this sickening act of terror immediately, unequivocally and in the strongest terms possible. It is the duty of the Council to put an urgent stop to all Palestinian incitement efforts."

Meanwhile, American Jewish groups condemned the murder of Sorek and urged the international community to take action against the Palestinian Authority's "pay to slay" policy.

"We join the people of Israel in mourning the loss of 19-year-old student Dvir Sorek, from the community of Ofra, who was studying at Yeshivat Migdal Oz. This was a dastardly act of terror and cold-blooded murder of a student who was found still clutching the books he had just bought in Jerusalem. We extend our deepest condolences to Dvir's family, which has already suffered grievously from previous terror attacks," said Arthur Stark, chairman, and Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman and CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.

"The international community must join in condemning this attack and those who incited, abetted and supported it," they continued, "especially the continuing 'pay to slay' grants of the Palestinian Authority."

Similarly, Mark Mellman, from the Democratic Majority for Israel, extended his deepest condolences to the Sorek family.

"At the same time, we are disgusted but not surprised that Hamas and the Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad celebrated his murder, calling it 'heroic,'" he said. "These senseless terrorist attacks leave families grieving and make it even more difficult to find a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians."

Sorek was laid to rest on Thursday evening in Ofra.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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The idea of mandatory military service for Ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students, who have traditionally been exempt from conscription, has been a spoke in the wheels of the process of putting together the next governing coalition. The main sticking point has been that the haredi factions oppose a law that would impose conscription that was authorized by the defense establishment under former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who says he will not agree to the legislation being altered in the slightest to accommodate the haredi demands.

In response, the haredi factions are working on a solution that would not entail any change to the proposed draft bill, which would mean Lieberman could support it. However, the haredim would seek to add a declaration that is important to their rabbis, which would state that any yeshiva student who wanted to continue studying Torah would be able to do so.

The haredim said the defense establishment could add the rabbinical declaration.

In addition, the haredim want to pass a basic law that would enshrine in law the importance of Torah study, hoping that a basic law would prevent the High Court from rejecting laws exempting yeshiva students from military service on the grounds that the exemption violates the principle of equality.

"The haredi string-pullers are once again trying tricky maneuvers with the IDF's [haredi] draft bill," Lapid wrote on Twitter.

"The draft bill should be passed exactly as it is written. Without additions, without money on the side, without codicils, without a 'Basic Law: The Importance of Torah Study,' whose only purpose is to allow people to evade IDF service," Lapid wrote.

Lapid tagged Lieberman and said, "You gave your word."

One haredi official involved in the negotiations had harsh words for Lieberman in a conversation with Israel Hayom.

"We, along with the [national] religious, represent 20 seats, whereas Lieberman is only worth five," the official said.

"Nevertheless, we are the ones who are willing to take steps to accommodate him. With 20 seats, we could easily demand that a law different from the one the defense establishment wrote be passed, something that we would agree with – and still, we're saying that we're willing to compromise on the Defense Ministry bill, even without changes to it, other than one declarative clause that will ensure that those who study Torah will be able to continue to study Torah," the official continued.

"The Defense Ministry's draft bill is inconvenient for the haredi world, and yet we're the ones who are compromising. Avigdor Lieberman doesn't even need to dial back his demand that the bill pass as-is," the official said.

Meanwhile, the National Union responded on Tuesday to a report in Israel Hayom that if Smotrich is not given the justice portfolio, he will ask for the public security portfolio and seek the authority to appoint a new police commissioner.

Smotrich stressed on Tuesday that if he did not receive the justice portfolio, he would seek the education portfolio. According to his agreement with Habayit Hayehudi chairman Rafi Peretz, whose party ran with the National Union on a joint ticket, Smotrich has the first pick of portfolios. However, despite his denials, party sources said it was possible that Smotrich would agree to serve as public security minister.

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