Religious parties could leave Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition, leading to the collapse of the government. Reuters
Religious parties could leave Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition, leading to the collapse of the government. Reuters
Religious parties could leave Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition, leading to the collapse of the government. Reuters
Religious parties could leave Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition, leading to the collapse of the government. Reuters

Why Israeli court ruling on ultra-Orthodox conscription threatens Netanyahu


Willy Lowry
  • English
  • Arabic

Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s fragile coalition took another hit on Tuesday when Israel’s highest court ruled unanimously that ultra-Orthodox men would no longer be exempt from military service, upending decades of precedent.

The Supreme Court ruling, which could rankle key allies of the PM, comes as Israel stands on the brink of a two-front war.

More than eight months of fighting in Gaza could potentially be joined by a full-scale conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Fighting on two fronts would require tens of thousands more soldiers.

Mr Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party holds 32 seats in the Knesset. But the Prime Minister’s government relies on the support of a patchwork of far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties to form a ruling coalition.

Those parties include Shas and United Torah Judaism, which oppose the change. If men from the ultra-Orthodox – also known as Haredi – community are conscripted, as the court has ruled, the religious parties could leave the coalition and collapse the government.

Ultra-Orthodox mourners watch the funeral of Haredi rabbi Chaim Kanievsky in Bnei Barak, near Tel Aviv, in 2022. AFP
Ultra-Orthodox mourners watch the funeral of Haredi rabbi Chaim Kanievsky in Bnei Barak, near Tel Aviv, in 2022. AFP
Israel's ultra-Orthodox community say they are upholding original Jewish values. AFP
Israel's ultra-Orthodox community say they are upholding original Jewish values. AFP

“If I had to guess, at a certain point, they're going to leave the coalition,’ said Rabbi Nechemia Steinberger, head of the Haredi programme and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Mr Steinberger believes the ultra-Orthodox members of the Knesset may feel that it is better to leave than be a part of a government that forces their people to join the military.

“Part of what disturbs the Haredi community is that the Jewish state of Israel took a stand and a declaration that we do not appreciate and we do not care about the people who are keeping the original Jewish lifestyle,” Mr Steinberger told The National.

“That is the feeling of people, and that's something that they are going to protest against.”

Ultra-Orthodox men are removed by police at a protest against drafting into the Israeli army, in Bnei Brak. Getty Images
Ultra-Orthodox men are removed by police at a protest against drafting into the Israeli army, in Bnei Brak. Getty Images

For decades, the ultra-Orthodox have for the most part been exempt from military service, which otherwise is mandatory for Israelis.

The community believes that they are upholding original Jewish values.

“They say, ‘we are holding the spirit of the Jewish people, we've been doing this for 2000 years',” Mr Steinberger said.

While this has long been a contentious issue, the war in Gaza has turned it into a flashpoint in a society still reeling from the events of October 7 and very much on a war footing.

There is a feeling among the general public that they and their loved ones have been fighting, bleeding and dying for the state, while the ultra-Orthodox have not shared the same burden.

“Burden in terms of deaths and injuries and funerals and tragedies, and a sense of we are putting our lives on the line and your group is completely avoiding national responsibility. And it has gone past any red line,” said Gerald Steinberg, a professor of politics at Bar Ilan University.

There are more than 60,000 ultra-Orthodox men of military age – a significant number in a country of just 9.5 million people.

Mourners at the funeral of Israeli soldier Sergeant First Class Malkia Gross, who was killed in the Israel-Gaza war, at Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem. Reuters
Mourners at the funeral of Israeli soldier Sergeant First Class Malkia Gross, who was killed in the Israel-Gaza war, at Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem. Reuters

Israel’s attorney general called on the military to immediately draft 3,000 students from yeshiva traditional Jewish educational institutions, a relatively small percentage of those eligible.

“From what I understand, this is a number probably the Haredi parties are going to be able to live with,” said Mr Steinberger from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The fact that not all eligible men will be drafted immediately may buy this historically right-wing government some time, but the issue will remain pressing and could still cause irrevocable damage to the coalition.

Mr Netanyahu is already Israel’s longest-serving leader. He is a political survivor, who throughout his career has demonstrated an uncanny ability to retain power and outmanoeuvre his opponents and allies.

While once a political moderate, he has steered farther and farther right in recent years, in an effort to maintain power.

“He is a very strategic thinker,” Mr Steinberg told The National. ”

He always has been and he also knows how to use power, and that [has] both positive and negative implications, but also he has actually consistently benefitted from the ineptness and the overreach of his opponents.”

Mr Steinberg believes that even though the court’s ruling poses a serious “threat to the coalition”, Mr Netanyahu remains very much in charge and at the top of the political hierarchy.

“There is no alternative out there to Netanyahu,” he said.

“There is no personality that is seen as credible in what is Israel's most critical time when leadership is most essential.”

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Pakistan Super League

Previous winners

2016 Islamabad United

2017 Peshawar Zalmi

2018 Islamabad United

2019 Quetta Gladiators

 

Most runs Kamran Akmal – 1,286

Most wickets Wahab Riaz –65

Where to donate in the UAE

The Emirates Charity Portal

You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.

The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments

The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.

Al Noor Special Needs Centre

You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.

Beit Al Khair Society

Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.

Dar Al Ber Society

Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.

Dubai Cares

Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.

Emirates Airline Foundation

Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.

Emirates Red Crescent

On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.

Gulf for Good

Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.

Noor Dubai Foundation

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).

In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
  • Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000 
  • Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000 
  • Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000 
  • Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000 
  • HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000 
  • Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000 
  • Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000 
  • Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000 
  • Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000 
  • Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000 
  • Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000 
  • Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
  • Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
  • Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
The past Palme d'Or winners

2018 Shoplifters, Hirokazu Kore-eda

2017 The Square, Ruben Ostlund

2016 I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach

2015 DheepanJacques Audiard

2014 Winter Sleep (Kış Uykusu), Nuri Bilge Ceylan

2013 Blue is the Warmest Colour (La Vie d'Adèle: Chapitres 1 et 2), Abdellatif Kechiche, Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux

2012 Amour, Michael Haneke

2011 The Tree of LifeTerrence Malick

2010 Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Lung Bunmi Raluek Chat), Apichatpong Weerasethakul

2009 The White Ribbon (Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte), Michael Haneke

2008 The Class (Entre les murs), Laurent Cantet

MATCH INFO

Who: UAE v USA
What: first T20 international
When: Friday, 2pm
Where: ICC Academy in Dubai

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Profile of Bitex UAE

Date of launch: November 2018

Founder: Monark Modi

Based: Business Bay, Dubai

Sector: Financial services

Size: Eight employees

Investors: Self-funded to date with $1m of personal savings

EA Sports FC 25

 

Company: Instabug

Founded: 2013

Based: Egypt, Cairo

Sector: IT

Employees: 100

Stage: Series A

Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors

Company profile

Date started: 2015

Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki

Based: Dubai

Sector: Online grocery delivery

Staff: 200

Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends

Updated: June 29, 2024, 2:51 PM`