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A gathering political storm over drafting Haredi men into the military is posing a risk to Israel's government and dividing the state.

Public opinion on the matter has shifted dramatically in Israel after two years of war, and this is now perhaps the most explosive political risk facing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Legal Conflict

Politicians are now debating a piece of legislation to end the special status awarded to yeshiva scholars enrolled in full-time religious study, established when the modern Israel was founded in 1948.

The deferment was struck down by the nation's top court almost 20 years ago. Temporary arrangements to continue it were formally ended by the judiciary last year, forcing the administration to begin drafting the Haredi sector.

Roughly 24,000 draft notices were sent out last year, but only around 1,200 Haredi conscripts enlisted, according to military testimony presented to lawmakers.

Tensions Boil Over Into Violence

Friction is spilling onto the public squares, with elected officials now discussing a new legislative proposal to compel yeshiva students into national service in the same way as other Israeli Jews.

Two representatives were harassed this month by hardline activists, who are incensed with parliament's discussion of the proposed law.

And last week, a specialized force had to extract army police who were targeted by a large crowd of Haredi men as they sought to apprehend a suspected draft-evader.

These arrests have prompted the establishment of a new alert system dubbed "Black Alert" to rapidly disseminate information through Haredi neighborhoods and summon protesters to prevent arrests from happening.

"Israel is a Jewish nation," remarked Shmuel Orbach. "One cannot oppose the Jewish faith in a nation founded on Jewish identity. That is untenable."

A World Apart

Yet the transformations sweeping across Israel have not reached the environment of the Torah academy in a Haredi stronghold, an religious community on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.

In the learning space, teenage boys study together to discuss Jewish law, their distinctive notepads standing out against the rows of formal attire and small black kippahs.

"Visit in the early hours, and you will see half the guys are engaged in learning," the head of the academy, the spiritual guide, explained. "By studying Torah, we safeguard the troops wherever they are. This is our army."

The community holds that unceasing devotion and Torah learning guard Israel's armed forces, and are as vital to its military success as its advanced weaponry. This tenet was acknowledged by Israel's politicians in the previous eras, he said, but he acknowledged that public attitudes are shifting.

Growing Public Pressure

This religious sector has significantly increased its proportion of the nation's citizens over the past seven decades, and now accounts for around one in seven. A policy that originated as an exception for several hundred yeshiva attendees evolved into, by the onset of the recent conflict, a cohort of tens of thousands of men exempt from the draft.

Opinion polls suggest support for ultra-Orthodox conscription is increasing. Research in July found that a large majority of secular and traditional Jews - encompassing almost three-quarters in the Prime Minister's political base - favored sanctions for those who declined a draft order, with a solid consensus in approving removing privileges, the right to travel, or the franchise.

"It seems to me there are individuals who reside in this country without serving," one military member in Tel Aviv commented.

"I don't think, regardless of piety, [it] should be an justification not to fulfill your duty to your state," added a Tel Aviv resident. "As a citizen by birth, I find it somewhat unreasonable that you want to opt out just to study Torah all day."

Views from Within the Community

Support for extending the draft is also expressed by religious Jews outside the ultra-Orthodox sector, like one local resident, who lives near the yeshiva and highlights religious Zionists who do enlist in the army while also studying Torah.

"I'm very angry that the Haredim don't serve in the army," she said. "It is unjust. I also believe in the Torah, but there's a saying in Hebrew - 'The Book and the Sword' – it signifies the scripture and the weapons together. This is the correct approach, until the days of peace."

Ms Barak runs a modest remembrance site in the neighborhood to soldiers from the area, both observant and non-observant, who were killed in battle. Long columns of faces {