Israel’s Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that the military must begin drafting ultra-Orthodox Jewish men, a decision that threatened to split Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government amid the war in Gaza. In a unanimous decision, nine judges held that there was no legal basis for the longstanding military exemption given to many ultra-Orthodox religious students. The court’s ruling pits secular Jews against the ultra-Orthodox, who say their study of scripture is as essential as the military to defending Israel. Mr. Netanyahu has called for legislation that would generally maintain the exemption for the religious students. More than 2,000 Haredim sought to join the military in the first 10 weeks of the war, according to military statistics.

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Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Netanyahu’s, Netanyahu, ” Yitzhak Goldknopf, Gabby Sobelman, Myra Noveck Locations: Israel’s, Gaza, Israel, The State