The Security Service Law (Amendment No. 28 - Temporary Provision), 2026, commonly called the “Draft Evaders Law” or the “Arrest Freeze Law,” was enacted to temporarily suspend the arrest and prosecution of certain yeshiva students who had failed to comply with military-service orders. The Knesset approved the law on July 14, 2026, but the Supreme Court prevented it from taking effect the following day while considering petitions challenging its constitutionality.
The legislation emerged from the long-running dispute over military service by Haredi men. In June 2024, the Supreme Court ruled that, in the absence of a valid statutory exemption, the government was legally required to apply Israel’s conscription law to eligible yeshiva students. Subsequent court proceedings focused on whether the government and military were taking effective measures to enforce that obligation. Arrests of Haredi draft evaders, particularly when they encountered authorities at airports or during demonstrations, generated protests and pressure from the ultra-Orthodox parties for legislative protection.
The temporary provision applied to draft-eligible men who could demonstrate that Torah study was their principal occupation under conditions set by law. It barred arrest, investigation, and other enforcement proceedings arising from their failure to report for military service. The final version was scheduled to remain in force until November 30, 2026. Although presented as a temporary measure, its operation potentially could have been extended under provisions governing temporary laws during an election period.
Supporters described the measure as an attempt to prevent further confrontation between the state and the Haredi community while allowing a future government time to formulate a comprehensive conscription arrangement. Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Boaz Bismuth said the existing arrest policy was creating an unprecedented rupture between the general public and the ultra-Orthodox sector. Haredi parties regarded the measure as an immediate safeguard for full-time yeshiva students in the absence of a broader exemption law.
Critics argued that the legislation did not create recruitment targets, alternative service requirements or meaningful incentives for enlistment. The legal adviser to the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee warned that it effectively granted a “sectoral exemption” from obligations imposed by the Security Service Law while providing no counterbalancing mechanism to reduce inequality. Knesset legal officials also objected to the legislative procedure, arguing that an existing government conscription bill had been transformed late in the process into a substantially different enforcement-freeze measure.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir opposed the legislation, reportedly telling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz that granting broad immunity from enforcement was incompatible with the military’s manpower needs and the sacrifices demanded of serving soldiers. The law nevertheless passed its second and third readings by 58 votes to 54. Several coalition legislators opposed it, and Netanyahu was absent from the vote.
Four petitions were filed with the High Court of Justice by Israel Hofsheet, Yesh Atid legislators, Yisrael Beytenu representatives and the Movement for Quality Government. The petitioners argued that the law violated equality, selectively suspended enforcement of a generally applicable statute and attempted to circumvent earlier Supreme Court rulings requiring the conscription of eligible yeshiva students.
On July 15, Justice Ofer Grosskopf issued a provisional order freezing the law’s entry into force. He also issued an order to show cause requiring the Knesset and government to explain why the amendment should not be invalidated. Grosskopf cited the Court’s longstanding jurisprudence concerning yeshiva conscription, the implications of suspending arrest and enforcement “with regard to only certain sections of the population,” and the substantial arguments raised against the law. The Court directed that the petitions be heard as soon as possible before an expanded panel. The order did not invalidate the law, but it left the existing enforcement framework in place pending a final judicial decision.
Sources: Shlomit Ravitsky Tur-Paz, “What Is the Arrest Freeze Law?” IDI, (July 1, 2026). [Hebrew]
Amir Ettinger, “Knesset Legal Adviser Warns of ‘Sectoral Exemption’ as Draft-Evader Arrest Freeze Advances,” Ynet, (July 13, 2026). [Hebrew]
Melanie Lidman, Natalie Melzer, “Israel’s Parliament Approves Laws to Enshrine Exemption of Ultra-Orthodox Men from Military Service,” AP, (July 14, 2026).
“Security Service Bill (Amendment No. 28 - Temporary Provision), 2026,” Knesset, (July 14, 2026). [Hebrew]
Sarah Ben-Nun, Keshet Neev, “High Court Freezes Law Halting Arrests of Haredi Draft Evaders,” Jerusalem Post, (July 15, 2026).
“Israel Hofsheet et al. v. Knesset et al., HCJ 41953-07-26,” Israel High Court, (July 15, 2026). [Hebrew]