Israel’s supreme court has ruled that ultra-Orthodox Jewish men must be drafted into military service, a politically explosive decision that threatens the stability of Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government.
The unanimous ruling on Tuesday, from an expanded panel of nine judges, upheld an interim decision last month that the state had no authority to offer the current exemption for ultra-Orthodox, or Haredi, men.
But the timing, in the midst of the war in Gaza and as Netanyahu struggles to hold together a rightwing coalition that includes two ultra-Orthodox parties, is more likely to inflame existing tensions between secular and religious elements of society.
The powerful ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism (UTJ) parties, key Netanyahu allies, have often threatened to quit his coalition and force new elections if draft exemptions for their communities were ended.
Mandatory army service for Jewish citizens is a large part of the Israeli national ethos, but longstanding legal compromises have to date exempted Haredi men, who instead continue full-time study of religious texts funded by government stipends.
Benny Gantz, a centrist opposition politician and Netanyahu rival who quit the war cabinet earlier this month citing disagreements with the prime minister over issues including a hostage deal and ultra-Orthodox conscription, blamed the impasse on the coalition.
The original article contains 729 words, the summary contains 209 words. Saved 71%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Israel’s supreme court has ruled that ultra-Orthodox Jewish men must be drafted into military service, a politically explosive decision that threatens the stability of Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government.
The unanimous ruling on Tuesday, from an expanded panel of nine judges, upheld an interim decision last month that the state had no authority to offer the current exemption for ultra-Orthodox, or Haredi, men.
But the timing, in the midst of the war in Gaza and as Netanyahu struggles to hold together a rightwing coalition that includes two ultra-Orthodox parties, is more likely to inflame existing tensions between secular and religious elements of society.
The powerful ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism (UTJ) parties, key Netanyahu allies, have often threatened to quit his coalition and force new elections if draft exemptions for their communities were ended.
Mandatory army service for Jewish citizens is a large part of the Israeli national ethos, but longstanding legal compromises have to date exempted Haredi men, who instead continue full-time study of religious texts funded by government stipends.
Benny Gantz, a centrist opposition politician and Netanyahu rival who quit the war cabinet earlier this month citing disagreements with the prime minister over issues including a hostage deal and ultra-Orthodox conscription, blamed the impasse on the coalition.
The original article contains 729 words, the summary contains 209 words. Saved 71%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!