Israel’s Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that the government must include ultra-Orthodox Jewish seminary students in the military draft.
This decision is likely to cause significant disruptions within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition.
Netanyahu’s coalition relies heavily on two ultra-Orthodox parties, which view the long-standing exemptions from conscription as crucial for keeping their members in religious seminaries and away from a military environment that might challenge their traditional ways.
The issue of ultra-Orthodox conscription has become particularly contentious as Israel’s armed forces, composed mainly of teenage conscripts and older civilians called up for reserve duty, are stretched thin by ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon.
“At the height of a difficult war, the burden of inequality is more than ever acute,” the court’s unanimous ruling stated.
While most Israelis are legally required to serve in the military, ultra-Orthodox Jewish seminary students have largely been exempt for many years.
