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An impending crisis over conscripting Haredi men into the Israeli army is jeopardizing the governing coalition and fracturing the nation.

The public mood on the matter has undergone a sea change in Israel following two years of conflict, and this is now arguably the most explosive political risk facing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Legal Struggle

Lawmakers are reviewing a piece of legislation to abolish the deferment granted to Haredi students dedicated to full-time religious study, instituted when the State of Israel was established in 1948.

That exemption was declared unconstitutional by Israel's High Court of Justice two decades ago. Stopgap solutions to maintain it were formally ended by the judiciary last year, pressuring the cabinet to start enlisting the Haredi sector.

Roughly 24,000 enlistment orders were sent out last year, but only around 1,200 ultra-Orthodox - or Haredi - draftees enlisted, according to military testimony presented to lawmakers.

Strains Spill Onto the Streets

Friction is spilling onto the streets, with parliamentarians now deliberating a new legislative proposal to force ultra-Orthodox men into national service in the same way as other Israeli Jews.

Two representatives were targeted this month by radical elements, who are furious with the legislative debate of the draft legislation.

And last week, a specialized force had to rescue Military Police officers who were attacked by a big group of community members as they attempted to detain a alleged conscription dodger.

These arrests have led to the development of a new messaging system named "Dark Alert" to spread word quickly through Haredi neighborhoods and summon protesters to block enforcement from occurring.

"This is a Jewish state," said one protester. "You can't fight against religious practice in a Jewish state. That is untenable."

An Environment Apart

However the transformations sweeping across Israel have failed to penetrate the walls of the Kisse Rahamim yeshiva in Bnei Brak, an ultra-Orthodox city on the fringes of Tel Aviv.

In the learning space, scholars learn in partnerships to discuss the Torah, their distinctive writing books popping against the lines of white shirts and head coverings.

"Arrive late at night, and you will see half the guys are engaged in learning," the head of the yeshiva, the spiritual guide, said. "By studying Torah, we safeguard the troops on the front lines. This is our army."

Ultra-Orthodox believe that unceasing devotion and Torah learning guard Israel's soldiers, and are as essential to its military success as its advanced weaponry. That belief was accepted by the nation's leaders in the previous eras, the rabbi said, but he admitted that the nation is evolving.

Rising Societal Anger

The ultra-Orthodox population has more than doubled its percentage of the country's people over the since the state's founding, and now constitutes around one in seven. What began as an exception for a few hundred yeshiva attendees turned into, by the onset of the recent conflict, a cohort of some 60,000 men left out of the draft.

Opinion polls indicate support for ending the exemption is increasing. A poll in July revealed that a large majority of secular and traditional Jews - including a significant majority in his own coalition allies - backed penalties for those who declined a enlistment summons, with a firm majority in supporting cutting state subsidies, travel documents, or the electoral participation.

"It seems to me there are individuals who reside in this nation without contributing," one off-duty soldier in Tel Aviv explained.

"In my view, however religious you are, [it] should be an justification not to fulfill your duty to your country," added a young woman. "If you're born here, I find it somewhat unreasonable that you want to opt out just to learn in a yeshiva all day."

Voices from Within a Religious City

Support for extending the draft is also expressed by traditional Jews beyond the Haredi community, like one local resident, who resides close to the seminary and notes non-Haredi religious Jews who do serve in the military while also studying Torah.

"It makes me angry that the Haredim don't serve in the army," she said. "It is unjust. I too follow the Jewish law, but there's a teaching in Jewish tradition - 'The Book and the Sword' – it means the Torah and the defense together. This is the correct approach, until the arrival of peace."

She manages a local tribute in her city to local soldiers, both observant and non-observant, who were killed in battle. Rows of faces {