Israeli Supreme Court Freezes Funding for Non-Enlisting Religious Schools

The Israeli Supreme Court has ordered the government to stop funding religious schools whose students defy the country’s mandatory military service, posing a serious threat to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition, which relies on Ultra-Orthodox parties. The court ruled that it was illegal for the government to both fund yeshivas and exempt their students from conscription, setting a deadline of April 1 for the government to stop transferring funds to non-compliant yeshivas. Ultra-Orthodox leaders have strongly criticized the ruling, while others see it as a necessary step towards equitable conscription enforcement.