By Sedacca
A stunning Israeli Supreme Court order freezing funding for ultra-Orthodox yeshivas unless their students enlist in the military could rupture Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition as the war with Hamas rages on.
The Israeli government has until Monday to present a new national conscription plan, following Thursday’s order affirming a 2018 high court ruling that found the current system, which historically has exempted ultra-Orthodox Jews from service, is discriminatory.
A large majority of Israelis see their exemption from military service as unfair.
The decision came as Netanyahu asked the court for a 30-day extension period to find a compromise over the draft exemption for the ultra-Orthodox, who make up 13% of Israel’s population.
The exemption issue has divided Netanyahu’s fragile government, which is composed of both secular and ultra-Orthodox Jewish lawmakers split on the court’s ruling.
Ultra-Orthodox parties in Netanyahu’s ruling coalition, who had been promised the decades-long exemption from the nation’s military draft would be made permanent, slammed the court’s decision as a “mark of Cain,” Bloomberg reported.
Centrists who joined Netanyahu’s war cabinet in October, however, backed the decision, insisting there was a need for more troops as the Jewish state faces the threats of Hamas in Gaza along with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“The issue isn’t the Supreme Court,” said Benny Gantz, a war cabinet member and an opposition leader who has threatened to resign from Israel’s unity government over the draft issue. “The issue is our need for soldiers during a difficult war and our society’s need for everyone to take part in the privilege of serving the country.”
If the ultra-Orthodox members of his coalition leave the government over the issue, it would trigger a new election at a time when Netanyahu has taken a tumble in the polls.
While most Israelis are required to enlist in the military followed by reserve duty, for decades, ultra-Orthodox Jews instead have been allowed to study Torah full time and receive government stipends.
The reprieve has fomented resentment among the broader public, especially as the nation nears its sixth month of a war where more than 500 soldiers have been killed and tens of thousands of Israelis have seen their lives upended by being called up for reserve duty.
