Israel Hofsheet argues that the benefit amounts to indirect public funding and therefore cannot continue, after the High Court ruled in June 2024 that the state lacked authority to fund yeshivas in respect of students legally required to enlist.<\/p>\n
Court questions need to continue petition<\/strong><\/p>\n At Monday\u2019s hearing, Barak-Erez pointed to Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara\u2019s adoption of the petitioners\u2019 position.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy, at this time, has the petition not exhausted itself?\u201d she asked. \u201cThe question is not whether we have reached an ideal state, but whether at this time there remains anything to discuss.\u201d<\/p>\n Attorney Hagai Kalai, representing Israel Hofsheet alongside attorney Gal Barir, replied that the petition had effectively been accepted, since the state now agreed that the institutions could not receive such indirect support.<\/p>\n A representative of the attorney-general told the court that, in light of its rulings, the state was not authorized to finance draft-eligible students who had not regularized their status, and was required to take all available steps to prevent such funding.<\/p>\n \u201cYou are essentially accepting the principled position presented by the petitioners?\u201d Barak-Erez asked, noting that the answer also affected the procedural question of whether the case should continue.<\/p>\n The state representative said that although the tax benefit was formally granted to donors, it nevertheless constituted indirect support by the state.<\/p>\n \u201cAccording to our position, there is no authority to provide such support,\u201d she said. \u201cThe court ruled that the state is not authorized to continue supporting draft-eligible students who have not regularized their status.\u201d<\/p>\n State begins implementing new policy<\/strong><\/p>\n Baharav-Miara has instructed the Israel Tax Authority<\/a> to implement a mechanism for identifying the relevant institutions. Yeshivot seeking to obtain, renew or retain Section 46 recognition are being required to provide declarations and identifying information regarding their students.<\/p>\n The information will be checked against military records, after which the Tax Authority will determine each institution\u2019s continued eligibility based on whether draft-eligible students enrolled there have regularized their status.<\/p>\n Smotrich opposed broadly revoking existing approvals because of the military status of students enrolled at the institutions, according to the state\u2019s position submitted ahead of the hearing.<\/p>\n![\"ATTORNEY-GENERAL](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/672106.jpeg\"\/)
ATTORNEY-GENERAL Gali Baharav-Miara. (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM\/THE JERUSALEM POST)<\/p>\n