Escalating conflict in Israel as ultra-Orthodox protests against conscription order intensify

The deepest division in Israeli politics today is not just over wars on multiple fronts or international isolation, but over military service for ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) Jewish men. This issue is splitting major parties and driving people into the streets in protest.

On Thursday evening, thousands of ultra-Orthodox men paralyzed city centers across central Israel, protesting the arrest of devotees for refusing conscription. The refusal stems not from moral objection to Israel's wars but from the belief that military service weakens faith and distracts from Torah study.

Protests by ultra-Orthodox youth have become frequent across Israel, often accompanied by violence. Dozens of police officers and protesters have been injured, many arrested, and streets and city centers are frequently blocked off.

Facing the loss of parliamentary support from the two main ultra-Orthodox parties—Shas and United Torah Judaism (UTJ)—Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pushed a bill to dissolve parliament and advanced a controversial draft law granting draft exemptions for ultra-Orthodox religious students. UTJ lawmaker Yisrael Eichler praised the bill as a “holy war against those who blaspheme God, persecute the Torah, and its students.” Meir Porush, another UTJ member, called opponents “anti-Semites.” Both argued the bill was necessary to counter “systemic persecution” by “dictatorial jurists”—a reference to Supreme Court justices who have long opposed the exemptions.

Political analyst Nimrod Flaschenberg said Haredi conscription could become a key election campaign issue as Israeli society becomes increasingly militarized. He noted that ultra-Orthodox families are large, raising concerns they will become a much larger share of the population, making it harder for Israel to sustain a developed society.

Since the 2010s, Israel’s Supreme Court has repeatedly struck down blanket conscription exemptions, ruling they violate the principle of equality before the law. In June 2024, the court declared the current system illegal and ordered conscription for eligible individuals, escalating political conflict and violent protests.

Professor Benjamin Brown, an expert on ultra-Orthodox Judaism, explained that many Haredi view the military as a “melting pot” that distances them from Torah study, which they see as a form of national service providing “spiritual protection.” While Jewish law forbids violence, some Haredi argue that state restrictions amount to religious persecution (shemad), allowing actions normally prohibited in self-defense.

Netanyahu and his Likud party are paying the price for their coalition with ultra-Orthodox parties. Polls show about 80% of Israelis support requiring Haredi conscription or punishing refusals. A survey by the Israel Democracy Institute found 85% back sanctions like cutting welfare benefits for students and their families.

The opposition, led by former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, has criticized the failure to address exemptions as a “slow path to suicide.” But scholars warn the issue won’t disappear soon. Professor Daniel Bar-Tal of Tel Aviv University said the ultra-Orthodox community now makes up about 12% of the Jewish population, but due to high birth rates, it will grow significantly in 10-20 years. Only about half of them perform military service or work and contribute to the economy.

Analyst Ori Goldberg noted that everything is moving quickly toward elections; the opposition appears unbowed by the Haredi but might make secret concessions. With 20 years of experience, Netanyahu knows how to deal with ultra-Orthodox parties, but the issue is increasingly important in the public eye, which is “fickle” and may be “tired of killing Palestinians” and turn attention to internal divisions.