BETH – Strategic Analysis | June 11, 2025

In the heart of Israel, where nationalism meets tradition, an age-old yet renewed crisis is rocking the political and military landscape:
Should the Haredim serve in the army? Or should they remain exempt for religious reasons?
This question has evolved from a mere social debate into a direct threat to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s coalition stability.

🧨 The Roots of the Crisis: Religious Exemption or Class Privilege?

The historic exemption of the Haredim from military service dates back to 1948, when David Ben-Gurion exempted 400 religious students “to protect Jewish traditions after the Holocaust.”
What began as a one-time exception gradually turned into a systemic precedent, especially as the Haredi community expanded to more than 13% of Israel’s population today, and is projected to approach one-third within 40 years due to high birth rates.

⚔️ Who Are the Haredim? And What Do They Want?

The Haredim (חרדים) are the Ultra-Orthodox stream of Judaism who see Torah study as their life’s purpose, living in socially and economically closed communities.

Most Haredi men do not work.

They do not serve in the army.

They rely on state support and donations.

They serve as a “voting bloc” for religious parties.

Their primary demand: Maintain complete military exemption and enshrine it in law to prevent any interference in their religious lifestyle.

🏛️ Religious Parties Grip the Government

Prime Minister Netanyahu’s coalition includes two hardline religious parties:

United Torah Judaism (Yahadut Hatorah)

Shas

These parties wield disproportionate influence over religious and social policy. Their current threat is clear:

“Either official exemption in law, or we’ll topple the government.”

🔥 Rising Public Outrage

Since the war in Gaza began in October 2023 and Israeli casualties mounted, public frustration has boiled over:

Why are our children fighting while others stay home?

Can the Torah exempt one group from existential struggle?

Approximately 300,000 reservists were called up, and public opinion polls show overwhelming support for ending Haredi exemptions.

⚖️ Supreme Court Intervenes

In 2024, Israel’s Supreme Court ordered the Defense Ministry to end the exemptions and begin drafting Haredi students, placing the government in a dual bind:

Striking a balance between obeying the judiciary

Maintaining coalition stability by appeasing religious parties

🕍🪖 Commentary by BETH:

Is Israel ruled by divine precepts or military objectives?

In outward form, successive Israeli governments appear military-secular.

But when expansionist rhetoric is scrutinized, it becomes clear: land occupation is justified by divine promises, not international law.

This structural contradiction reveals that Israel is neither purely secular nor purely religious. It's a state where military strength clashes with religious belief, breeding internal hostility, not harmony.

🕊️ What About Peace?

The most troubling question:
Where do the religious parties—especially the Haredim—stand on peace?

Do they genuinely aspire to peace?

Will they pressure the government to secure peace?

Or do they seek political power to impose a "religious peace"?

Or does peace even exist in their worldview, given their belief in exclusive “biblical land entitlement”?

In reality:

Religious parties do not support genuine peace, as every inch of land is seen as a “biblical right.”

Secular-led governments don’t forge full peace either, since they rely on religious support to stay in power.

The result? A vicious circle:

Governments unwilling to pursue genuine peace, and religious parties bound to expansionist theology.

🧠 BETH’s Insight:

Even if government forms change… the core remains. As long as political decisions hinge on religious-party coalitions—not public mandate—and as long as both secular and religious voices reject real peace, Israel’s democratic façade may deepen, but its internal religiosity and military entrenchment will only intensify.