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A gathering crisis over drafting Haredi men into the military is posing a risk to the governing coalition and fracturing the state.

Public opinion on the issue has undergone a sea change in Israel in the wake of two years of war, and this is now arguably the most volatile political risk facing Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Constitutional Conflict

Legislators are reviewing a proposal to end the special status given to Haredi students enrolled in full-time religious study, created when the the nation was declared in 1948.

This arrangement was ruled illegal by the nation's top court almost 20 years ago. Temporary arrangements to maintain it were formally ended by the judiciary last year, compelling the administration to start enlisting the ultra-Orthodox population.

Some 24,000 draft notices were delivered last year, but just approximately 1,200 ultra-Orthodox - or Haredi - draftees showed up, according to defense officials presented to lawmakers.

Friction Boil Over Into Violence

Strains are boiling over onto the city centers, with lawmakers now discussing a new legislative proposal to force ultra-Orthodox men into military service alongside other Jewish citizens.

Two representatives were targeted this month by some extreme ultra-Orthodox protesters, who are enraged with parliament's discussion of the draft legislation.

In a recent incident, a specialized force had to assist enforcement personnel who were attacked by a big group of ultra-Orthodox protesters as they tried to arrest a man avoiding service.

These arrests have led to the development of a new alert system dubbed "Emergency Alert" to rapidly disseminate information through the religious sector and summon demonstrators to stop detentions from happening.

"This is a Jewish state," said one protester. "It's impossible to battle Judaism in a Jewish country. That is untenable."

A World Apart

But the changes sweeping across Israel have not reached the environment of the religious seminary in a Haredi stronghold, an Haredi enclave on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.

Within the study hall, young students sit in pairs to discuss Judaism's religious laws, their distinctive school notebooks standing out against the rows of white shirts and small black kippahs.

"Arrive late at night, and you will see a significant portion are pursuing religious study," the head of the seminary, a senior rabbi, explained. "By studying Torah, we shield the soldiers on the front lines. This constitutes our service."

Haredi Jews maintain that unceasing devotion and spiritual pursuit defend Israel's military, and are as vital to its security as its tanks and air force. This conviction was accepted by the nation's leaders in the previous eras, the rabbi said, but he admitted that Israel was changing.

Rising Public Pressure

The ultra-Orthodox population has significantly increased its share of Israel's population over the since the state's founding, and now accounts for 14%. An exemption that started as an exception for a small number of yeshiva attendees became, by the start of the Gaza war, a body of tens of thousands of men left out of the national service.

Polling data indicate approval of ultra-Orthodox conscription is rising. A survey in July showed that a large majority of secular and traditional Jews - even a significant majority in the Prime Minister's political base - supported sanctions for those who refused a call-up notice, with a solid consensus in supporting withdrawing benefits, passports, or the franchise.

"I feel there are individuals who live in this country without giving anything back," one serviceman in Tel Aviv said.

"In my view, regardless of piety, [it] should be an justification not to go and serve your country," said a young woman. "Being a native, I find it rather absurd that you want to opt out just to learn in a yeshiva all day."

Views from the Heart of the Community

Advocacy of ending the exemption is also found among observant Jews outside the Haredi community, like one local resident, who resides close to the seminary and notes observant but non-Haredi Jews who do perform national service while also engaging in religious study.

"It makes me angry that the Haredim don't perform military service," 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 means the scripture and the weapons together. This is the correct approach, until the days of peace."

She maintains a local tribute in the neighborhood to soldiers from the area, both observant and non-observant, who were killed in battle. Long columns of faces {