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An impending crisis over drafting ultra-Orthodox Jews into the Israeli army is jeopardizing the governing coalition and fracturing the country.

Public opinion on the matter has undergone a sea change in Israel following two years of hostilities, and this is now possibly the most divisive political issue facing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Constitutional Battle

Lawmakers are currently considering a proposal to terminate the special status given to yeshiva scholars enrolled in Torah study, instituted when the the nation was founded in 1948.

The deferment was ruled illegal by the Supreme Court in the early 2000s. Interim measures to extend it were finally concluded by the bench last year, forcing the government to start enlisting the Haredi sector.

Some 24,000 draft notices were delivered last year, but merely about 1,200 Haredi conscripts reported for duty, according to defense officials shared with lawmakers.

Tensions Erupt Into Violence

Friction is spilling onto the public squares, with elected officials now discussing a new draft bill to require yeshiva students into national service together with other secular Israelis.

Two representatives were confronted this month by hardline activists, who are furious with the legislative debate of the draft legislation.

And last week, a specialized force had to assist Military Police officers who were surrounded by a big group of Haredi men as they attempted to detain a alleged conscription dodger.

Such incidents have led to the development of a new messaging system dubbed "Black Alert" to rapidly disseminate information through the religious sector and summon demonstrators to prevent arrests from occurring.

"This is a Jewish state," stated one protester. "One cannot oppose Judaism in a Jewish country. That is untenable."

A Realm Separate

Yet the transformations affecting Israel have not yet breached the walls of the Kisse Rahamim yeshiva in an ultra-Orthodox city, an religious community on the fringes of Tel Aviv.

In the learning space, teenage boys study together to discuss Judaism's religious laws, their distinctive writing books standing out against the rows of formal attire and small black kippahs.

"Arrive late at night, and you will see half the guys are studying Torah," the leader of the yeshiva, a senior rabbi, noted. "By studying Torah, we shield the soldiers wherever they are. This is how we contribute."

The community holds that continuous prayer and spiritual pursuit defend Israel's military, and are as crucial to its military success as its tanks and air force. This conviction was endorsed by previous governments in the earlier decades, Rabbi Mazuz said, but he acknowledged that public attitudes are shifting.

Growing Public Pressure

The Haredi community has more than doubled its proportion of the nation's citizens over the past seven decades, and now represents around one in seven. A policy that originated as an exception for a small number of Torah scholars turned into, by the start of the recent conflict, a cohort of some 60,000 men exempt from the national service.

Surveys indicate support for ultra-Orthodox conscription is increasing. Research in July found that an overwhelming percentage of the broader Jewish public - even a significant majority in Netanyahu's own right-wing Likud party - backed penalties for those who refused a draft order, with a solid consensus in favor of withdrawing benefits, the right to travel, or the electoral participation.

"I feel there are individuals who reside in this country without giving anything back," one off-duty soldier in Tel Aviv said.

"I don't think, no matter how devout, [it] should be an reason not to perform service your nation," added Gabby. "If you're born here, I find it somewhat unreasonable that you want to opt out just to study Torah all day."

Voices from Within the Community

Backing for broadening conscription is also coming from religious Jews outside the ultra-Orthodox sector, like Dorit Barak, who resides close to the yeshiva and points to observant but non-Haredi Jews who do enlist in the army while also maintaining their faith.

"I'm very angry that ultra-Orthodox people don't enlist," she said. "It is unjust. I am also committed to the Torah, but there's a saying in Hebrew - 'The Book and the Sword' – it represents the scripture and the weapons together. This is the correct approach, until the days of peace."

She manages a local tribute in her city to fallen servicemen, both observant and non-observant, who were killed in battle. Long columns of images {