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Politics22 outlets ran this5 min read

Israel debates military draft exemption for ultra-Orthodox Jews amid protests

Proposed changes to conscription rules for Haredi men spark demonstrations as their political influence grows

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published
Ultra-Orthodox Jews walk past pashkevilim, posters used to publicize news and important messages in the ultra-Orthodox community, in the Mea Shearim neighborhood of Jerusalem, Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

What this story says

  • Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men in Israel have long been exempt from military service to prioritise full-time Torah study, a policy now under review.
  • Mass protests have erupted over proposed changes to the exemption, with ultra-Orthodox parties expected to play a key role in upcoming elections.
  • The ultra-Orthodox population is growing rapidly, projected to reach 25% of Israel’s population by 2050 and 40% of potential draftees.
  • Some ultra-Orthodox men have volunteered for military service since the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks, despite doctrinal opposition to conscription.

Who covered it

Left 48%(10)Centre 42%(9)Right 10%(2)

Percentages are shares of the 21 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 1 of the 22 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

42/100

Craft

55/100

Hype

15/100

22 sources · methodology

Thin on the right so far

Only 2 of the 21 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.

This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.

Israel’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, known as Haredim, has been exempt from military conscription for decades. The exemption was originally granted to a few hundred Torah scholars after the state’s founding in 1948, allowing them to rebuild religious institutions lost during the Holocaust. Over time, the policy expanded to include all ultra-Orthodox men engaged in full-time religious study.

The Haredim are a visible part of Israeli society, with men typically wearing black suits and hats and women dressing in modest clothing with head coverings. Their population is growing faster than other segments of Israeli society. The Israel Democracy Institute estimates they will make up 25% of the population by 2050 and 40% of those eligible for military service. This demographic shift has intensified debates over their exemption, particularly as Israel faces prolonged conflict on multiple fronts.

Proposed changes to the exemption have triggered mass protests. Ultra-Orthodox doctrine holds that studying the Torah is the highest duty, above military service or employment. Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld, who runs two Jerusalem yeshivas, described the Torah as the "crucial mission of life." However, some ultra-Orthodox men have joined the military since the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks, including three sons of Judith Rosenblum, an ultra-Orthodox mother of eight.

Ultra-Orthodox parties are expected to be kingmakers in Israel’s upcoming elections, giving them significant leverage in negotiations over the draft exemption. The debate has exposed tensions between secular and religious Israelis, with some accusing the Haredim of avoiding military service while benefiting from state resources. Others argue that their religious study is a vital contribution to Jewish identity and culture.

What the coverage left out

None of the digests from left-rated, centre-rated or right-rated outlets mentioned the Legal Advisor to the Government’s statement, reported by the unrated outlet Walla, that 80% of military draft evasion in Israel is attributed to the ultra-Orthodox community. The figure was described as evidence of widespread evasion despite increased recruitment from the ultra-Orthodox public.

Tags:#IsraelDraftExemption#UltraOrthodoxJews#Haredim#MilitaryConscription#IsraelElections#ReligionAndState

Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 6 times, most recently on 19 Aug 2026, 20:30, and will add the sides that appear.

How other outlets pictured it

Which photograph to run is each newsroom’s own choice. The leaning beside a name is that outlet’s published rating, not a claim that the pictures divide along it. Every picture is shown from the outlet’s own server and links to the article it ran in.

Israel debates military draft exemption for ultra-Orthodox Jews amid protests
WKMGCentre

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

10 rated outlets

  • The nine left-rated digests below all led on the mass protests over the proposed changes to the military draft exemption. They included the demographic growth of the ultra-Orthodox population and its projected share of Israel’s population by 2050. The digests also carried the voices of ultra-Orthodox individuals, including Judith Rosenblum and Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld, as reported by the Associated Press.
  • The Associated Press’s full report, reprinted by left-rated outlets, quoted Rabbi Emanuel Feldman’s statement that the ultra-Orthodox follow civil law only when it does not interfere with religious study. It also detailed the daily routines of yeshiva students, such as Etl Lovy, who described his devotion to Torah study as a way to "get close to God."

Centre

9 rated outlets

  • The ten centre-rated digests below all led on the growing political and cultural influence of the ultra-Orthodox community. They included the demographic projections and the role of ultra-Orthodox parties as potential kingmakers in elections. The digests also mentioned the mass protests over the draft exemption and the doctrinal belief that Torah study takes precedence over military service.
  • WKMG’s full report, which is centre-rated, reprinted the Associated Press’s account in full. It included the same quotations from Judith Rosenblum and Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld, as well as descriptions of the daily life of yeshiva students. The report also noted the historical context of the exemption, originally granted to a small number of scholars after the Holocaust.

Right

2 rated outlets

  • The two right-rated digests below led on the growing numbers and political clout of the ultra-Orthodox community. They included the demographic projections and the role of ultra-Orthodox parties in elections. Neither digest mentioned the mass protests over the draft exemption or the voices of ultra-Orthodox individuals quoted in other reports.

Read it at the source

22 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

10
Show 2 more

Centre

9
Show 1 more

Right

2

Not rated

1

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover Israel debates military draft exemption for ultra-Orthodox Jews amid…?
Of the 21 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 48% are rated left, 42% are rated centre, 10% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 22. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is Israel debates military draft exemption for ultra-Orthodox Jews amid… left or right?
Neither side dominates it. Of the 21 rated outlets on this story, 48% are rated left, 42% are rated centre, 10% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
Is the coverage of Israel debates military draft exemption for ultra-Orthodox Jews amid… biased?
Israel debates military draft exemption for ultra-Orthodox Jews amid protests is one event reported by 22 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
Which side is not reporting Israel debates military draft exemption for ultra-Orthodox Jews amid…?
When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
Which outlets covered Israel debates military draft exemption for ultra-Orthodox Jews amid…?
22 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
Why are ultra-Orthodox Jewish men exempt from military service in Israel?
The exemption was originally granted to a few hundred Torah scholars after Israel’s founding in 1948 to rebuild religious institutions lost during the Holocaust. Over time, it expanded to include all ultra-Orthodox men engaged in full-time religious study, as their doctrine prioritises Torah study over military service.
How large is the ultra-Orthodox population in Israel?
The ultra-Orthodox population is growing rapidly. The Israel Democracy Institute estimates they will make up 25% of Israel’s population by 2050 and 40% of those eligible for military service. Their political influence is also increasing, with ultra-Orthodox parties expected to be kingmakers in upcoming elections.
What are the proposed changes to the draft exemption?
Proposed changes to the exemption have sparked mass protests. While the specifics are unclear, the debate centres on whether ultra-Orthodox men should continue to be exempt from military service, given their growing numbers and the country’s ongoing conflicts.
Have any ultra-Orthodox men joined the military?
Yes, some ultra-Orthodox men have volunteered for military service since the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks. Judith Rosenblum, an ultra-Orthodox mother, said three of her sons joined the army after the attacks, despite her preference for them to study the Torah full-time.

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

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