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A looming crisis over drafting Haredi men into the Israeli army is threatening to undermine the governing coalition and fracturing the country.

The public mood on the matter has undergone a sea change in Israel in the wake of two years of conflict, and this is now arguably the most explosive political issue facing Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Constitutional Struggle

Lawmakers are currently considering a proposal to terminate the exemption given to yeshiva scholars enrolled in Torah study, instituted when the the nation was established in 1948.

This arrangement was struck down by the Supreme Court two decades ago. Temporary arrangements to continue it were finally concluded by the judiciary last year, pressuring the cabinet to start enlisting the Haredi sector.

Some 24,000 enlistment orders were sent out last year, but just approximately 1,200 Haredi conscripts enlisted, according to army data shared with lawmakers.

Tensions Spill Onto the Streets

Tensions are erupting onto the city centers, with lawmakers now discussing a new conscription law to force Haredi males into national service alongside other Jewish citizens.

A pair of ultra-Orthodox lawmakers were harassed this month by hardline activists, who are incensed with the Knesset's deliberations of the proposed law.

And last week, a special Border Police unit had to rescue Military Police officers who were surrounded by a big group of Haredi men as they tried to arrest a suspected draft-evader.

These enforcement actions have led to the development of a new messaging system called "Dark Alert" to rapidly disseminate information through Haredi neighborhoods and call out protesters to prevent arrests from occurring.

"Israel is a Jewish nation," stated Shmuel Orbach. "One cannot oppose Judaism in a Jewish country. That is untenable."

An Environment Apart

But the transformations blowing through Israel have failed to penetrate the confines of the religious seminary in a Haredi stronghold, an Haredi enclave on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.

Within the study hall, scholars learn in partnerships to debate the Torah, their brightly coloured notepads popping against the lines of white shirts and head coverings.

"Arrive late at night, and you will see a significant portion are engaged in learning," the leader of the yeshiva, a senior rabbi, explained. "By studying Torah, we shield the troops in the field. This is our army."

The community holds that constant study and Torah learning guard Israel's armed forces, and are as essential to its military success as its advanced weaponry. This conviction was endorsed by Israel's politicians in the earlier decades, the rabbi said, but he admitted that the nation is evolving.

Growing Societal Anger

This religious sector has significantly increased its percentage of Israel's population over the last seventy years, and now constitutes around one in seven. What began as an deferment for a few hundred Torah scholars evolved into, by the onset of the Gaza war, a cohort of some 60,000 men not subject to the draft.

Surveys show approval of drafting the Haredim is increasing. Research in July revealed that 85% of secular and traditional Jews - even almost three-quarters in the Prime Minister's political base - favored consequences for those who ignored a enlistment summons, with a firm majority in favor of withdrawing benefits, passports, or the franchise.

"I feel there are individuals who live in this nation without giving anything back," one military member in Tel Aviv explained.

"In my view, regardless of piety, [it] should be an reason not to perform service your country," added a Tel Aviv resident. "Being a native, I find it somewhat unreasonable that you want to avoid service just to engage in religious study all day."

Voices from the Heart of Bnei Brak

Support for extending the draft is also found among traditional Jews not part of the ultra-Orthodox sector, like one local resident, who is a neighbor of the academy and highlights observant but non-Haredi Jews who do perform national service while also maintaining their faith.

"I am frustrated that ultra-Orthodox people don't enlist," she said. "It is unjust. I too follow the Jewish law, but there's a teaching in Jewish tradition - 'Safra and Saifa' – it represents the scripture and the weapons together. That is the path, until the messianic era."

Ms Barak maintains a small memorial in her city to fallen servicemen, both from all backgrounds, who were lost in conflict. Long columns of faces {