Israel - Supreme Court Upholds Law That Allows Ultra-Orthodox Exemptions From Army

Israel - The Supreme Court upheld a law allowing ultra-Orthodox Israelis exemptions from army service, leaving intact a measure that has strained relations between religious and secular Israelis.

Petitioners against the law had hoped the court would cancel it and require the religious Jews to serve in the military, as most eligible Israelis have to do. The so-called Tal Law allows at least 30,000 ultra-Orthodox men not to serve based on the claim that religious studies are their profession.