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An impending political storm over drafting Haredi men into the Israeli army is posing a risk to Israel's government and splitting the nation.

Public opinion on the question has changed profoundly in Israel following two years of hostilities, and this is now arguably the most volatile political risk facing Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Constitutional Battle

Lawmakers are now debating a proposal to abolish the exemption granted to Haredi students engaged in yeshiva learning, created when the modern Israel was founded in 1948.

This arrangement was struck down by Israel's High Court of Justice almost 20 years ago. Interim measures to extend it were formally ended by the judiciary last year, compelling the cabinet to start enlisting the Haredi sector.

Approximately 24,000 draft notices were issued last year, but just approximately 1,200 Haredi conscripts showed up, according to army data presented to lawmakers.

Strains Boil Over Into Public View

Strains are boiling over onto the city centers, with lawmakers now debating a new conscription law to compel yeshiva students into army duty in the same way as other Jewish citizens.

Two representatives were harassed this month by some extreme ultra-Orthodox protesters, who are enraged with the Knesset's deliberations of the draft legislation.

And last week, a special Border Police unit had to extract Military Police officers who were surrounded by a sizeable mob of community members as they tried to arrest a suspected draft-evader.

Such incidents have led to the development of a new alert system named "Black Alert" to send out instant alerts through Haredi neighborhoods and call out activists to stop detentions from occurring.

"This is a Jewish state," stated one protester. "You can't fight against Judaism in a Jewish state. It is a contradiction."

A Realm Apart

But the changes blowing through Israel have not reached the confines of the religious seminary in an ultra-Orthodox city, an ultra-Orthodox city on the edge of Tel Aviv.

Within the study hall, scholars sit in pairs to analyze Jewish law, their brightly coloured school notebooks standing out against the rows of white shirts and small black kippahs.

"Come at one in the morning, and you will see many of the students are pursuing religious study," the head of the yeshiva, Rabbi Tzemach Mazuz, noted. "By studying Torah, we protect the military personnel in the field. This is our army."

Ultra-Orthodox believe that unceasing devotion and religious study defend Israel's soldiers, and are as crucial to its military success as its tanks and air force. This tenet was accepted by previous governments in the previous eras, the rabbi said, but he conceded that public attitudes are shifting.

Rising Popular Demand

The Haredi community has grown substantially its percentage of the nation's citizens over the past seven decades, and now accounts for a sizable minority. An exemption that started as an exception for a small number of yeshiva attendees became, by the beginning of the recent conflict, a group of approximately 60,000 men not subject to the national service.

Surveys suggest support for drafting the Haredim is rising. Research in July found that 85% of the broader Jewish public - even almost three-quarters in his own coalition allies - supported consequences for those who refused a draft order, with a solid consensus in favor of removing privileges, passports, or the franchise.

"It seems to me there are individuals who live in this nation without giving anything back," one off-duty soldier in Tel Aviv explained.

"It is my belief, however religious you are, [it] should be an justification not to perform service your country," said a young woman. "As a citizen by birth, I find it somewhat unreasonable that you want to exempt yourself just to learn in a yeshiva all day."

Voices from the Heart of a Religious City

Advocacy of extending the draft is also expressed by religious Jews beyond the ultra-Orthodox sector, like one local resident, who lives near the yeshiva and points to religious Zionists who do serve in the military while also engaging in religious study.

"It makes me angry that ultra-Orthodox people don't perform military service," she said. "It's unfair. I also believe in the Torah, but there's a teaching in Jewish tradition - 'Safra and Saifa' – it signifies the Torah and the guns together. That is the path, until the messianic era."

Ms Barak runs a local tribute in the neighborhood to local soldiers, both observant and non-observant, who were killed in battle. Rows of images {