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A looming political storm over drafting ultra-Orthodox Jews into the Israeli army is threatening to undermine Israel's government and fracturing the nation.

The public mood on the matter has undergone a sea change in Israel after two years of hostilities, and this is now perhaps the most divisive political risk facing Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Judicial Battle

Lawmakers are currently considering a draft bill to abolish the special status granted to Haredi students dedicated to Torah study, established when the State of Israel was declared in 1948.

That exemption was declared unconstitutional by the nation's top court almost 20 years ago. Temporary arrangements to continue it were officially terminated by the court last year, forcing the government to begin drafting the ultra-Orthodox population.

Approximately 24,000 draft notices were sent out last year, but only around 1,200 men from the community reported for duty, according to defense officials presented to lawmakers.

Strains Boil Over Onto the Streets

Friction is spilling onto the streets, with lawmakers now discussing a new conscription law to force yeshiva students into army duty alongside other secular Israelis.

Two Haredi politicians were targeted this month by radical elements, who are incensed with parliament's discussion of the draft legislation.

And last week, a special Border Police unit had to assist army police who were targeted by a large crowd of community members as they tried to arrest a suspected draft-evader.

These enforcement actions have prompted the establishment of a new communication network called "Dark Alert" to spread word quickly through Haredi neighborhoods and call out demonstrators to prevent arrests from taking place.

"Israel is a Jewish nation," said one protester. "You can't fight against Judaism in a nation founded on Jewish identity. That is untenable."

A Realm Set Aside

Yet the transformations blowing through Israel have not yet breached the confines of the Kisse Rahamim yeshiva in Bnei Brak, an religious community on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.

Within the study hall, young students sit in pairs to analyze Judaism's religious laws, their distinctive school notebooks popping against the seats of formal attire and traditional skullcaps.

"Arrive late at night, and you will see half the guys are pursuing religious study," the leader of the academy, Rabbi Tzemach Mazuz, said. "Via dedicated learning, we shield the troops in the field. This is our army."

Ultra-Orthodox believe that unceasing devotion and religious study defend Israel's armed forces, and are as essential to its defense as its advanced weaponry. That belief was endorsed by previous governments in the previous eras, Rabbi Mazuz said, but he admitted that public attitudes are shifting.

Growing Popular Demand

This religious sector has more than doubled its share of the country's people over the last seventy years, and now represents around one in seven. A policy that originated as an deferment for a few hundred religious students became, by the start of the recent conflict, a body of some 60,000 men not subject to the national service.

Surveys indicate support for ultra-Orthodox conscription is increasing. Research in July revealed that a large majority of non-Haredi Jews - encompassing a significant majority in Netanyahu's own right-wing Likud party - supported penalties for those who ignored a call-up notice, with a firm majority in supporting withdrawing benefits, travel documents, or the electoral participation.

"It makes me feel there are citizens who are part of this country without giving anything back," one serviceman in Tel Aviv explained.

"In my view, regardless of piety, [it] should be an excuse not to fulfill your duty to your nation," said Gabby. "If you're born here, I find it rather absurd that you want to exempt yourself just to engage in religious study all day."

Views from Within a Religious City

Support for extending the draft is also expressed by observant Jews outside the ultra-Orthodox sector, like a Bnei Brak inhabitant, who resides close to the academy and notes observant but non-Haredi Jews who do perform national service while also maintaining their faith.

"It makes me angry that the Haredim don't enlist," she said. "It is unjust. I too follow the Jewish law, but there's a saying in Hebrew - 'The Book and the Sword' – it signifies the Torah and the defense together. That's the way forward, until the messianic era."

Ms Barak runs a local tribute in the neighborhood to soldiers from the area, both from all backgrounds, who were fallen in war. Long columns of images {