In Israel, Wartime Realities Renew Scrutiny Over Ultra-Orthodox Military Exemptions

In the aftermath of Hamas' Oct. 7 assault on Israel, the issue of the ultra-Orthodox's draft exemption from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) -- a perennial political controversy -- has once again grown prominent in public debate. With the country still undergoing an unprecedented military mobilization to maintain its ongoing fight against the Palestinian militant group in Gaza, many Israeli minds are focused on national security matters -- and particularly, whether Israel will have enough able bodies in the future should it maintain its long-standing policy of exempting the country's ultra-Orthodox Jewish community from IDF service. But the issue, at least in terms of military need, may be less about how many soldiers the IDF can draft, and more about what Israel's relationship with its neighbors and rivals is like over the coming years and decades....