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An impending political storm over conscripting Haredi men into the military is posing a risk to Israel's government and splitting the country.

The public mood on the issue has changed profoundly in Israel following two years of hostilities, and this is now arguably the most explosive political risk facing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Judicial Battle

Politicians are reviewing a piece of legislation to end the deferment granted to yeshiva scholars engaged in Torah study, established when the State of Israel was established in 1948.

This arrangement was ruled illegal by the nation's top court two decades ago. Interim measures to extend it were officially terminated by the court last year, compelling the administration to start enlisting the community.

Approximately 24,000 call-up papers were delivered last year, but just approximately 1,200 ultra-Orthodox - or Haredi - draftees showed up, according to army data given to lawmakers.

Friction Spill Into Public View

Friction is spilling onto the public squares, with lawmakers now debating a new legislative proposal to require ultra-Orthodox men into army duty together with other secular Israelis.

A pair of ultra-Orthodox lawmakers were confronted this month by hardline activists, who are enraged with the legislative debate of the draft legislation.

In a recent incident, a specialized force had to rescue Military Police officers who were targeted by a big group of ultra-Orthodox protesters as they attempted to detain a alleged conscription dodger.

Such incidents have led to the development of a new alert system named "Emergency Alert" to rapidly disseminate information through the religious sector and mobilize demonstrators to prevent arrests from occurring.

"Israel is a Jewish nation," stated an activist. "It's impossible to battle the Jewish faith in a nation founded on Jewish identity. It is a contradiction."

An Environment Apart

But the shifts sweeping across Israel have not yet breached the confines of the Kisse Rahamim yeshiva in an ultra-Orthodox city, an ultra-Orthodox city on the edge of Tel Aviv.

Within the study hall, young students learn in partnerships to analyze the Torah, their vividly colored school notebooks popping against the seats of white shirts and head coverings.

"Come at one in the morning, and you will see many of the students are pursuing religious study," the head of the academy, the spiritual guide, explained. "Via dedicated learning, we shield the troops in the field. This is our army."

Haredi Jews maintain that constant study and spiritual pursuit defend Israel's military, and are as crucial to its security as its tanks and air force. This tenet was accepted by previous governments in the previous eras, the rabbi said, but he conceded that Israel was changing.

Increasing Public Pressure

The Haredi community has grown substantially its proportion of the nation's citizens over the past seven decades, and now accounts for a sizable minority. A policy that originated as an deferment for several hundred yeshiva attendees evolved into, by the beginning of the Gaza war, a body of some 60,000 men not subject to the draft.

Opinion polls indicate backing for drafting the Haredim is rising. Research in July showed that 85% of non-Haredi Jews - even a significant majority in his own coalition allies - backed consequences for those who ignored a enlistment summons, with a firm majority in approving removing privileges, travel documents, or the franchise.

"It makes me feel there are people who are part of this nation without giving anything back," one off-duty soldier in Tel Aviv explained.

"In my view, no matter how devout, [it] should be an reason not to go and serve your nation," added a young woman. "Being a native, I find it rather absurd that you want to opt out just to engage in religious study all day."

Views from Inside a Religious City

Advocacy of ending the exemption is also expressed by traditional Jews outside the Haredi community, like Dorit Barak, who is a neighbor of the academy and highlights non-Haredi religious Jews who do perform national service while also studying Torah.

"I am frustrated that ultra-Orthodox people don't serve in the army," she said. "It's unfair. I am also committed to the Torah, but there's a saying in Jewish tradition - 'The Book and the Sword' – it signifies the Torah and the weapons together. That is the path, until the messianic era."

She maintains a modest remembrance site in the neighborhood to soldiers from the area, both religious and secular, who were fallen in war. Lines of faces {