‘I will never join the army’: ultra-Orthodox Jews to defy Israeli court orders

As their military exemption ends, tensions divide the country and threaten to topple Netanyahu’s government

Mea Shearim is the heart of Israel’s ultra-Orthodox community, whose role bitterly divides the country and, some believe, may be the issue that ultimately brings down Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

The special legal status of the ultra-Orthodox, the Haredim, that has endured as long as the state of Israel, came to an abrupt end on Monday following a supreme court decision that the group would no longer benefit from government subsidies and exemption from military service, as is mandatory for most other Jewish Israelis. It followed a series of delays by the government in presenting a proposal demanded by the court aimed at enhancing the military enlistment of ultra-Orthodox men.