International
The Supreme Court of Israel rules on the end of the military exemption for ultra-Orthodox Jews
The Israeli Supreme Court unanimously ruled on Tuesday the end of the military exemption for young ultra-Orthodox Jews, a very controversial measure that has historically divided Israeli society, especially since the war in the Gaza Strip.
The Court decided that “there is no legal basis to exclude ultra-Orthodox men from recruitment” and that if they do not serve in the Army they should not receive educational and social assistance subsidies financed with public funds.
It is not clear whether this ruling implies the immediate sending of recruitment orders for the approximately 67,000 eligible Hareddi men – the equivalent of five military divisions – for compulsory military service at this time, or it will be a gradual process.
The two ultra-Orthodox parties – Shas and United Torah Judaism (JUT) – are frontally opposed to the recruitment of young Torah scholars and have threatened to leave Benjamin Netanyahu’s current government coalition if the measure enters into force, endangering the stability of the Executive, since they provide 18 vital seats.
“There has never been a ruling of the Supreme Court in favor of the students of the yeshivah and in the interest of the ultra-orthodox public. There is not a single judge there who understands the value of the study of the Torah and its contribution to the people of Israel,” said today one of the leaders of JUT, Rabbi and deputy Moshe Gafni.
The military exemption for ultra-Orthodox Jews is not a law, but an executive provision that is prolonged periodically and that exists since the birth of the State of Israel, although there are several judicial judgments that indicate that it violates the principle of equality that governs the Israeli basic law.
The Israeli Supreme Court began at the beginning of June to hear arguments in the case of the military exemption of ultra-Orthodox Jews, who since the formation of the State of Israel can avoid compulsory military service if they study full-time in a Talmudic school (yeshivah).
This issue has caused great divisions in Israeli society and within the government.
At the beginning of April, a temporary rule that allowed the exemption to be maintained expired, and numerous civil society groups have claimed to end the privileges of the ultra-Orthodox, which represent about 13% of the Israeli population.
The Government has been represented in this litigation by a private lawyer, since the Attorney General, Gali Baharav-Miara, has declared herself against the military exemption, going so far as to declare that the Executive acts “without authority” when trying to prevent recruitment.
After the massive mobilization of about 300,000 reservists for the war in Gaza, which has already lasted almost nine months, in addition to for battalions of soldiers both on the northern border with Lebanon and in the occupied territory of the West Bank, many Israelis demand that Netanyahu, that all young people in Israel fulfill their military “duty”.
“There is a real national need to extend the time of service of the soldiers of the permanent army and to extend the period of service of the reservists. Therefore, we are obliged to reach new agreements and make decisions that we had not made in 75 years,” said the Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, on this issue.
International
Pope Francis meets former Gaza hostages
Pope Francis met on Thursday at the Vatican with 16 Israelis who had been held hostage in Gaza for months by the Islamist group Hamas, according to the official Vatican news website.
The group consisted of ten women, four men, and two children, as reported by the same source. Several of the former hostages showed the Argentine pontiff banners or photos of their loved ones who remain in captivity.
Francis had previously met with the families of hostages in April this year and November 2023, but this was the first time he had met with individuals who had personally endured captivity.
Since the conflict between Israel and Hamas began, the pope has repeatedly called for the immediate release of Israeli hostages, while also condemning the suffering of the Palestinian population.
The war erupted on October 7, 2023, when Islamist militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,206 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping 251, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures that include hostages who died in captivity.
Of the kidnapped, 97 are still being held in Gaza, but the Israeli military estimates that 34 of them have died.
The military offensive launched by Israel in response has killed at least 43,736 people in the Gaza Strip, mostly civilians, according to data from the Ministry of Health in the Hamas-governed territory.
International
Israeli airstrikes on Damascus kill 15 and injure 16, including women and children
Israeli forces carried out airstrikes on residential buildings in the Syrian capital, Damascus, and its surroundings on Thursday, resulting in at least 15 deaths and 16 injuries, according to Syria’s Ministry of Defense and state television.
The ministry stated that around 3:20 p.m. local time (12:20 GMT), the Israeli military launched an aerial attack from the direction of the occupied Golan Heights, targeting several residential buildings in the Mazzeh neighborhood in western Damascus and the Qudsaya suburb to the northwest of the capital.
The airstrikes “resulted in the death of 15 people and injuries to 16 others, including women and children,” based on initial estimates, in addition to significant damage to private property and civilian buildings, the ministry added.
Meanwhile, state television reported Israeli airstrikes on three buildings in Mazzeh and another on a building in an educational complex located in a residential area of Qudsaya.
Following the strikes, loud explosions were heard throughout the city, and thick plumes of smoke could be seen rising from the targeted locations. Ambulances and emergency services rushed to the scene to attend to the victims.
International
Drug trafficker dies after boat collision with Guardia Civil Vessel in Sanlúca
Three people were on the boat that collided with a Guardia Civil vessel around midnight at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, near the Andalusian city of Cádiz, a spokesperson for the Civil Guard reported.
Two officers sustained “contusions,” the spokesperson explained.
The drug traffickers managed to bring the boat to shore, where one of them was “abandoned” severely injured. The other two fled.
The Civil Guard officers attempted to resuscitate the victim before transporting him to Sanlúcar de Barrameda, but he ultimately died early in the morning.
The other two suspects took advantage of the officers’ absence while they were taking the victim and returned to set their boat on fire.
The collision occurred very close to the site of another accident on September 1, where a drug trafficker died following a Guardia Civil pursuit.
The suspects’ boat traveled “400 meters” before crashing head-on and “at full speed” into the riverbank, where a hundred bundles of hashish were found.
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