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An impending political storm over conscripting Haredi men into the Israeli army is posing a risk to the administration and fracturing the country.

Popular sentiment on the matter has shifted dramatically in Israel following two years of war, and this is now arguably the most explosive political issue facing Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Judicial Conflict

Politicians are currently considering a draft bill to end the exemption granted to ultra-Orthodox men dedicated to yeshiva learning, instituted when the the nation was declared in 1948.

This arrangement was declared unconstitutional by the nation's top court two decades ago. Temporary arrangements to extend it were officially terminated by the court last year, compelling the government to commence conscription of the Haredi sector.

Roughly 24,000 draft notices were delivered last year, but just approximately 1,200 Haredi conscripts showed up, according to defense officials presented to lawmakers.

Friction Erupt Onto the Streets

Strains are boiling over onto the streets, with lawmakers now discussing a new conscription law to force Haredi males into national service together with other Israeli Jews.

Two representatives were targeted this month by radical elements, who are incensed with the legislative debate of the draft legislation.

In a recent incident, a specialized force had to extract enforcement personnel who were surrounded by a large crowd of Haredi men as they tried to arrest a alleged conscription dodger.

These arrests have led to the development of a new alert system dubbed "Emergency Alert" to send out instant alerts through ultra-Orthodox communities and mobilize demonstrators to block enforcement from happening.

"Israel is a Jewish nation," stated one protester. "You can't fight against the Jewish faith in a Jewish country. That is untenable."

A World Separate

However the shifts blowing through Israel have failed to penetrate the confines of the religious seminary in Bnei Brak, an ultra-Orthodox city on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.

Inside the classroom, teenage boys learn in partnerships to analyze Judaism's religious laws, their vividly colored school notebooks standing out against the rows of white shirts and traditional skullcaps.

"Arrive late at night, and you will see a significant portion are studying Torah," the leader of the yeshiva, a senior rabbi, said. "By studying Torah, we shield the troops on the front lines. This is how we contribute."

Haredi Jews maintain that constant study and religious study protect Israel's soldiers, and are as vital to its defense as its advanced weaponry. This conviction was accepted by Israel's politicians in the past, he said, but he acknowledged that Israel was changing.

Increasing Public Pressure

The Haredi community has significantly increased its percentage of the nation's citizens over the past seven decades, and now constitutes around one in seven. A policy that originated as an exemption for a few hundred religious students turned into, by the beginning of the Gaza war, a body of approximately 60,000 men not subject to the draft.

Opinion polls suggest backing for ultra-Orthodox conscription is rising. Research in July found that an overwhelming percentage of the broader Jewish public - including a large segment in the Prime Minister's political base - favored penalties for those who ignored a call-up notice, with a firm majority in favor of removing privileges, travel documents, or the electoral participation.

"I feel there are citizens who reside in this country without serving," one military member in Tel Aviv said.

"It is my belief, regardless of piety, [it] should be an reason not to perform service your state," added a young woman. "If you're born here, I find it rather absurd that you want to opt out just to study Torah all day."

Views from Inside Bnei Brak

Support for ending the exemption is also expressed by observant Jews outside the ultra-Orthodox sector, like one local resident, who lives near the academy and notes non-Haredi religious Jews who do enlist in the army while also maintaining their faith.

"I'm very angry that the Haredim don't serve in the army," she said. "It is unjust. I too follow the Torah, but there's a saying in Hebrew - 'The Book and the Sword' – it represents the Torah and the defense together. That is the path, until the messianic era."

She runs a small memorial in the neighborhood to soldiers from the area, both from all backgrounds, who were fallen in war. Long columns of images {