Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz says a draft law to conscript ultra-Orthodox Jews into the army that had previously been exempt was not a “moral issue”.

“The new conscription law, upon its completion, will bring about a historic turning point and the recruitment of tens of thousands of additional ultra-Orthodox members for significant service in the IDF (Israeli army) for the first time,” Katz wrote on X.

“In contrast to the policy that was recently implemented, which failed and actually led to a decrease in the number of ultra-Orthodox members serving in the IDF,” he added.