Government Departure over Compulsory Military Service for Ultra-Orthodox Sects within Israeli Military - Ultra-Orthodox military service: Religious party departs Israeli coalition government
The Israeli government is facing a potential crisis, as ultra-Orthodox parties have announced their intention to leave the coalition due to disagreements over mandatory military service for ultra-Orthodox Jews. The parties, including United Torah Judaism (UTJ), have set explicit conditions for their return or continued participation in government, demanding the cancellation of tens of thousands of draft orders sent to yeshiva students and the preservation of budgets for religious schools.
This conflict stems from a decades-old arrangement that exempts many ultra-Orthodox men from compulsory military service, allowing them to study religious texts instead. However, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled unanimously last year that the military must begin drafting ultra-Orthodox men, a decision that has so far seen limited success.
The ultra-Orthodox parties accuse the government, particularly officials like Yuli Edelstein, of reneging on agreements that protected yeshiva students. They oppose measures such as daily fingerprint check-ins for draft compliance, which they view as humiliating. The parties' insistence on softer sanctions targeting individuals rather than religious institutions, along with demands for formalized legislative protections for the exemptions, illustrates their strong opposition to current conscription efforts.
The departure of UTJ from the coalition could destabilise Prime Minister Netanyahu's government, particularly at a time of heightened security needs due to the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the war in Gaza. The ultra-Orthodox parties' threat to quit unless a bill exempting yeshiva students from military service is presented has intensified political instability.
It is important to note that the Israeli army plans to send 54,000 draft notices to ultra-Orthodox individuals in the coming weeks. The over one-and-a-half-year war against radical Islamic Hamas in the Gaza Strip has contributed to the controversy surrounding the military exemption for ultra-Orthodox Talmud students.
Ultra-Orthodox Jews constitute approximately 14% of Israel's Jewish population, with around 66,000 young ultra-Orthodox men of conscription age in Israel. Despite the long-standing disputes and growing controversy surrounding the military exemption, it is important to maintain factual accuracy and avoid adding opinions or unrelated information in this report.
Benjamin Netanyahu faces a potential crisis in his Israeli government due to the threat of ultra-Orthodox parties leaving the coalition over mandatory military service for their community. The parties, such as United Torah Judaism, have established conditions for their return or continued participation, demanding the cancellation of draft orders and preservation of religious school budgets.
This conflict, stemming from decades-old arrangements that exempt many ultra-Orthodox men from compulsory military service, has intensified due to the Israeli Supreme Court's ruling last year mandating military conscription. The upcoming plan to send 54,000 draft notices to ultra-Orthodox individuals amid ongoing conflicts like the Israeli-Palestinian issue and the war in Gaza adds to the controversy.
