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An impending political storm over drafting ultra-Orthodox Jews into the military is jeopardizing Israel's government and dividing the nation.

Public opinion on the issue has changed profoundly in Israel in the wake of two years of conflict, and this is now perhaps the most divisive political challenge facing Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Legal Battle

Lawmakers are currently considering a piece of legislation to abolish the deferment granted to ultra-Orthodox men enrolled in Torah study, established when the modern Israel was established in 1948.

This arrangement was declared unconstitutional by the nation's top court in the early 2000s. Stopgap solutions to maintain it were formally ended by the court last year, pressuring the government to begin drafting the Haredi sector.

Some 24,000 call-up papers were delivered last year, but only around 1,200 ultra-Orthodox - or Haredi - draftees enlisted, according to defense officials given to lawmakers.

Tensions Spill Into Violence

Tensions are erupting onto the public squares, with parliamentarians now deliberating a new legislative proposal to require yeshiva students into military service alongside other secular Israelis.

Two Haredi politicians were targeted this month by some extreme ultra-Orthodox protesters, who are incensed with the legislative debate of the proposed law.

And last week, a elite police squad had to rescue enforcement personnel who were targeted by a sizeable mob of ultra-Orthodox protesters as they tried to arrest a man avoiding service.

These arrests have led to the development of a new messaging system dubbed "Emergency Alert" to send out instant alerts through ultra-Orthodox communities and mobilize protesters to block enforcement from occurring.

"Israel is a Jewish nation," said an activist. "It's impossible to battle religious practice in a Jewish state. That is untenable."

A Realm Apart

But the transformations sweeping across Israel have not reached the walls of the Torah academy in an ultra-Orthodox city, an ultra-Orthodox city on the edge of Tel Aviv.

Within the study hall, scholars learn in partnerships to debate the Torah, their brightly coloured notepads popping against the rows of white shirts and head coverings.

"Visit in the early hours, and you will see a significant portion are engaged in learning," the head of the seminary, a senior rabbi, said. "Via dedicated learning, we protect the troops wherever they are. This is how we contribute."

Haredi Jews maintain that constant study and religious study protect Israel's armed forces, and are as crucial to its security as its conventional forces. This tenet was acknowledged by the nation's leaders in the past, Rabbi Mazuz said, but he admitted that the nation is evolving.

Rising Popular Demand

The ultra-Orthodox population has grown substantially its percentage of the country's people over the past seven decades, and now represents 14%. A policy that originated as an exemption for several hundred Torah scholars evolved into, by the onset of the recent conflict, a body of approximately 60,000 men left out of the conscription.

Polling data indicate support for ultra-Orthodox conscription is rising. A poll in July found that an overwhelming percentage of secular and traditional Jews - even a significant majority in the Prime Minister's political base - supported penalties for those who declined a enlistment summons, with a clear majority in favor of withdrawing benefits, the right to travel, or the right to vote.

"It seems to me there are individuals who reside in this country without contributing," one military member in Tel Aviv commented.

"In my view, regardless of piety, [it] should be an reason not to fulfill your duty to your nation," added a young woman. "As a citizen by birth, I find it quite ridiculous that you want to avoid service just to study Torah all day."

Views from Within the Community

Backing for broadening conscription is also coming from traditional Jews beyond the Haredi community, like one local resident, who lives near the seminary and notes religious Zionists who do enlist in the army while also maintaining their faith.

"It makes me angry that ultra-Orthodox people don't enlist," she said. "It is unjust. I also believe in the Torah, but there's a proverb in Hebrew - 'Safra and Saifa' – it means the scripture and the weapons together. This is the correct approach, until the arrival of peace."

The resident maintains a modest remembrance site in her city to soldiers from the area, both religious and secular, who were fallen in war. Rows of photographs {