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An impending political storm over conscripting Haredi men into the Israel Defense Forces is jeopardizing the governing coalition and fracturing the country.

Popular sentiment on the issue has changed profoundly in Israel after two years of conflict, and this is now perhaps the most volatile political risk facing Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Legal Conflict

Legislators are reviewing a proposal to end the exemption given to yeshiva scholars engaged in Torah study, created when the State of Israel was established in 1948.

The deferment was ruled illegal by the Supreme Court almost 20 years ago. Interim measures to extend it were officially terminated by the judiciary last year, pressuring the cabinet to begin drafting the ultra-Orthodox population.

Approximately 24,000 draft notices were issued last year, but just approximately 1,200 men from the community reported for duty, according to military testimony given to lawmakers.

Friction Boil Over Into Public View

Tensions are erupting onto the streets, with lawmakers now discussing a new legislative proposal to force ultra-Orthodox men into army duty alongside other secular Israelis.

A pair of ultra-Orthodox lawmakers were confronted this month by some extreme ultra-Orthodox protesters, who are enraged with the Knesset's deliberations of the proposed law.

In a recent incident, a specialized force had to extract army police who were targeted by a sizeable mob of community members as they sought to apprehend a alleged conscription dodger.

These enforcement actions have prompted the establishment of a new communication network dubbed "Black Alert" to rapidly disseminate information through the religious sector and mobilize protesters to prevent arrests from taking place.

"This is a Jewish state," stated an activist. "You can't fight against religious practice in a Jewish state. That is untenable."

An Environment Separate

Yet the transformations affecting Israel have not reached the confines of the Torah academy in a Haredi stronghold, an ultra-Orthodox city on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.

Inside the classroom, young students sit in pairs to debate the Torah, their distinctive school notebooks popping against the lines of formal attire and traditional skullcaps.

"Come at one in the morning, and you will see half the guys are studying Torah," the head of the yeshiva, Rabbi Tzemach Mazuz, noted. "Through religious study, we shield the troops wherever they are. This is how we contribute."

The community holds that continuous prayer and Torah learning defend Israel's soldiers, and are as crucial to its military success as its tanks and air force. This conviction was acknowledged by previous governments in the previous eras, the rabbi said, but he admitted that the nation is evolving.

Growing Popular Demand

The Haredi community has grown substantially its percentage of Israel's population over the past seven decades, and now accounts for around one in seven. An exemption that started as an deferment for a small number of yeshiva attendees turned into, by the start of the recent conflict, a group of approximately 60,000 men left out of the national service.

Polling data suggest support for drafting the Haredim is increasing. A poll in July showed that an overwhelming percentage of secular and traditional Jews - even almost three-quarters in his own coalition allies - backed sanctions for those who refused a enlistment summons, with a firm majority in supporting removing privileges, passports, or the electoral participation.

"I feel there are citizens who are part of this country without serving," one serviceman in Tel Aviv commented.

"I don't think, regardless of piety, [it] should be an justification not to fulfill your duty to your nation," added Gabby. "Being a native, I find it rather absurd that you want to exempt yourself just to study Torah all day."

Views from Within Bnei Brak

Advocacy of extending the draft is also expressed by observant Jews outside the ultra-Orthodox sector, like one local resident, who is a neighbor of the academy and highlights observant but non-Haredi Jews who do enlist in the army while also maintaining their faith.

"It makes me angry that this community don't enlist," she said. "This creates inequality. I also believe in the Torah, but there's a proverb in Jewish tradition - 'Safra and Saifa' – it means the Torah and the defense together. This is the correct approach, until the arrival of peace."

Ms Barak manages a local tribute in Bnei Brak to local soldiers, both from all backgrounds, who were lost in conflict. Long columns of faces {