Litigating Military Service at Civil Court

Compulsory military service is perhaps one of the most demanding duties a society may impose on its members. Yet, in the research of civil-military relations, the role of civil courts in imposing such a duty is often neglected. Most of the existing literature regarding compulsory service tends to focus on issues such as conscientious objection and civil disobedience. However, the issue of compulsory military service is bound to evoke conflicting demands from groups and individuals looking to change the existing policies. That being the case, what is the role of national courts in settling such disputes? The findings presented here show that in the past decade the Supreme Court of Israel went through an interesting transformation; namely, from a court enforcing universal conscription policy into an arbitration tribunal used by groups and individuals to attain personal rights and career ambitions.