The debate over drafting Israel’s ultra-Orthodox community into the military has long been a political hot potato. But in the wake of October 7, it feels less like an old argument and more like an urgent reckoning. The devastation of the massacre itself, the 21-month-and-counting war, and the sacrifice of soldiers and civilians on the home front have forced the issue of contribution to the war effort in the form of manpower on the front lines.
In Israel, most young adults are expected to serve in the military. But for many in the ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) sector, Torah study takes precedence, and mandatory enlistment is viewed as a threat to their way of life. What used to be framed as a values clash now feels, to many, like an imbalance that can no longer be ignored.
The latest twist in this saga? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party ousted one of its own: Yuli Edelstein for objecting to a compromise that would extend draft exemptions for the ultra-Orthodox.
An article by The Media Line’s Gabriel Colodro, This Is Not Democracy’: Edelstein Showdown Exposes Deep Fracture Over Haredi Draft dives right into the dramatic and consequential debate from opposition ministers to dissenters within Likud as well as party loyalists and even a Haredi soldier who, despite serving, believes coercing his community into uniform is a step too far.
In the Edelstein situation, as with many others in politics, one minister’s moral stand is another’s political mutiny. And while these internal dramas are nothing new, the stakes are unquestionably high.