In the midst of war, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition is beginning to falter: United Torah Judaism (UTJ) has pulled its lawmakers from the government. All seven UTJ members of the Knesset submitted their resignations — a step that is both symbolically and practically significant. This reduces the coalition to just 61 seats in the Knesset, threatening its political stability.
This conflict isn’t new. For years, Israeli governments have struggled to find a workable compromise between mandatory military service and the religious lifestyle — without success.
A turning point came with a Supreme Court ruling that overturned the decades-long blanket exemption from military service for Haredim. As a result, the first draft notices were sent to yeshiva students. For many in the Haredi community, this was seen as an unprecedented attack on their way of life. For many others in Israeli society, it was a long-overdue correction.
While fighting and dying takes place at the front lines, anger is growing on the home front. Nearly every day, the military...
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