The Supreme Court unanimously ordered the government to begin drafted ultra-Orthodox Jewish men into the army. The landmark ruling on Tuesday seeks to end a system that has allowed them to avoid enlistment into compulsory military service. Ultra-Orthodox Jews, which make up about 13% of Israel’s population, are an essential part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s fragile governing coalition. They oppose enlistment because they believe that studying full time in religious seminaries is their most important duty, but the exemptions have reopened a deep divide in the country and infuriated much of the general public during the war in Gaza.
