High Court Unanimously Voids Temporary Yeshiva-Student Arrest Freeze

A nine-justice High Court panel unanimously annulled Amendment 28 to the Defense Service Law, which had suspended arrest and enforcement measures against qualifying Haredi yeshiva students who did not report for service. Deputy President Noam Sohlberg wrote that the enacted text departed fundamentally from the bill approved at first reading, creating a defect at the root of the legislative process. Eight justices also found an unconstitutional injury to equality, while Justice David Mintz joined only the procedural ruling. The law was frozen one day after passage and never took effect, so the existing enforcement regime remains unchanged.