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An impending political storm over drafting Haredi men into the Israeli army is threatening to undermine the administration and fracturing the state.

The public mood on the question has undergone a sea change in Israel in the wake of two years of war, and this is now perhaps the most volatile political risk facing the Prime Minister.

The Judicial Struggle

Legislators are now debating a draft bill to terminate the deferment granted to ultra-Orthodox men engaged in yeshiva learning, instituted when the modern Israel was declared in 1948.

The deferment was declared unconstitutional by the nation's top court almost 20 years ago. Interim measures to extend it were finally concluded by the court last year, compelling the administration to start enlisting the community.

Some 24,000 draft notices were sent out last year, but only around 1,200 Haredi conscripts showed up, according to army data presented to lawmakers.

Tensions Erupt Into Public View

Tensions are erupting onto the city centers, with lawmakers now debating a new legislative proposal to compel Haredi males into military service in the same way as other Jewish citizens.

A pair of ultra-Orthodox lawmakers were confronted this month by some extreme ultra-Orthodox protesters, who are incensed with parliament's discussion of the bill.

Recently, a specialized force had to rescue enforcement personnel who were attacked by a sizeable mob of Haredi men as they sought to apprehend a alleged conscription dodger.

These arrests have sparked the creation of a new messaging system named "Emergency Alert" to send out instant alerts through the religious sector and mobilize activists to prevent arrests from occurring.

"We're a Jewish country," said an activist. "It's impossible to battle the Jewish faith in a Jewish state. It doesn't work."

A World Set Aside

However the changes sweeping across Israel have not yet breached the walls of the Torah academy in a Haredi stronghold, an Haredi enclave on the fringes of Tel Aviv.

Inside the classroom, scholars study together to debate Jewish law, their brightly coloured school notebooks popping against the seats of formal attire and traditional skullcaps.

"Come at one in the morning, and you will see half the guys are studying Torah," the head of the seminary, Rabbi Tzemach Mazuz, said. "Via dedicated learning, we protect the troops on the front lines. This is how we contribute."

Ultra-Orthodox believe that unceasing devotion and spiritual pursuit protect Israel's soldiers, and are as vital to its security as its advanced weaponry. This conviction was acknowledged by the nation's leaders in the past, the rabbi said, but he acknowledged that Israel was changing.

Growing Public Pressure

The ultra-Orthodox population has more than doubled its percentage of Israel's population over the since the state's founding, and now constitutes a sizable minority. An exemption that started as an deferment for a few hundred religious students evolved into, by the beginning of the recent conflict, a cohort of tens of thousands of men not subject to the national service.

Surveys indicate approval of drafting the Haredim is rising. A survey in July showed that a large majority of secular and traditional Jews - including a large segment in his own coalition allies - backed penalties for those who ignored a enlistment summons, with a firm majority in supporting cutting state subsidies, travel documents, or the franchise.

"It makes me feel there are people who live in this country without serving," one serviceman in Tel Aviv said.

"It is my belief, however religious you are, [it] should be an excuse not to fulfill your duty to your nation," said Gabby. "If you're born here, I find it rather absurd that you want to exempt yourself just to engage in religious study all day."

Views from Within the Community

Backing for extending the draft is also found among observant Jews outside the ultra-Orthodox sector, like one local resident, who lives near the academy and highlights observant but non-Haredi Jews who do perform national service while also studying Torah.

"It makes me angry that the Haredim don't perform military service," she said. "It's unfair. I too follow the Jewish law, but there's a proverb in Jewish tradition - 'Safra and Saifa' – it represents the Torah and the weapons together. That's the way forward, until the messianic era."

Ms Barak runs a local tribute in the neighborhood to local soldiers, both observant and non-observant, who were lost in conflict. Long columns of faces {