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A looming political storm over conscripting Haredi men into the Israel Defense Forces is threatening to undermine the governing coalition and splitting the nation.

The public mood on the issue has changed profoundly in Israel in the wake of two years of war, and this is now possibly the most divisive political challenge facing the Prime Minister.

The Constitutional Battle

Lawmakers are now debating a proposal to terminate the exemption granted to Haredi students enrolled in full-time religious study, instituted when the State of Israel was founded in 1948.

The deferment was struck down by Israel's High Court of Justice two decades ago. Interim measures to extend it were finally concluded by the judiciary last year, pressuring the administration to start enlisting the Haredi sector.

Roughly 24,000 call-up papers were issued last year, but just approximately 1,200 ultra-Orthodox - or Haredi - draftees showed up, according to army data given to lawmakers.

Strains Erupt Into Public View

Friction is spilling onto the streets, with elected officials now debating a new draft bill to force ultra-Orthodox men into army duty together with other Jewish citizens.

Two Haredi politicians were harassed this month by radical elements, who are furious with the legislative debate of the bill.

Recently, a special Border Police unit had to rescue army police who were surrounded by a large crowd of ultra-Orthodox protesters as they attempted to detain a alleged conscription dodger.

These enforcement actions have prompted the establishment of a new messaging system dubbed "Black Alert" to send out instant alerts through the religious sector and summon protesters to prevent arrests from occurring.

"This is a Jewish state," said one protester. "You can't fight against religious practice in a nation founded on Jewish identity. That is untenable."

A Realm Separate

But the transformations affecting Israel have not yet breached the walls of the Torah academy in a Haredi stronghold, an Haredi enclave on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.

In the learning space, teenage boys sit in pairs to analyze Jewish law, their vividly colored school notebooks contrasting with the seats of light-colored shirts and traditional skullcaps.

"Come at one in the morning, and you will see half the guys are engaged in learning," the head of the yeshiva, a senior rabbi, said. "Via dedicated learning, we protect the soldiers wherever they are. This is how we contribute."

The community holds that constant study and Torah learning guard Israel's soldiers, and are as crucial to its security as its advanced weaponry. This conviction was accepted by Israel's politicians in the past, Rabbi Mazuz said, but he conceded that the nation is evolving.

Rising Popular Demand

This religious sector has grown substantially its proportion of the country's people over the last seventy years, and now represents a sizable minority. A policy that originated as an deferment for a small number of yeshiva attendees became, by the onset of the 2023 war, a cohort of some 60,000 men left out of the draft.

Polling data suggest approval of ending the exemption is increasing. A survey in July showed that 85% of the broader Jewish public - even almost three-quarters in Netanyahu's own right-wing Likud party - supported penalties for those who refused a call-up notice, with a clear majority in approving cutting state subsidies, passports, or the electoral participation.

"It makes me feel there are individuals who reside in this country without serving," one off-duty soldier in Tel Aviv commented.

"It is my belief, no matter how devout, [it] should be an reason not to go and serve your country," said Gabby. "If you're born here, I find it quite ridiculous that you want to exempt yourself just to study Torah all day."

Voices from Within a Religious City

Advocacy of broadening conscription is also expressed by religious Jews not part of the Haredi community, like one local resident, who lives near the seminary and notes religious Zionists who do serve in the military while also engaging in religious study.

"I'm very angry that the Haredim don't enlist," she said. "This creates inequality. I am also committed to the Torah, but there's a proverb in Hebrew - 'The Book and the Sword' – it represents the scripture and the weapons together. That's the way forward, until the messianic era."

Ms Barak manages a modest remembrance site in Bnei Brak to local soldiers, both observant and non-observant, who were killed in battle. Lines of faces {