Well, this’ll throw a spanner in the works. To be clear: it’s the ulta-orthodox that have been responsible for the worst of the so called “settlers” (displacement of Palestinian people’s from their homes) and are rabid supporters of the rightwing Government. They are always in favour of military intervention regardless of outcomes, probably because none of them have to serve in the military.
It’s quite a bit more complicated than that. Firstly, ultra-orthodox Jews (a.k.a Haredim) are mostly non-zionist. They also only make up roughly 33% of Israeli settlers.
Traditionally, the Haredim have voted for their own center-right Haredi parties, but a minority (especially the younger generation) are now drifting further rightward towards the nationalist Religious Zionist party of Ben Gvir and Smotrich that is particularly popular amongst the settlers. Despite this recent trend, though, the majority of Haredim remain Anti-Zionist.
It’s this stance, combined with the facts that Haredi men have been able to avoid military service and have relied heavily on social security to fund their living costs, that has caused a lot of resentment towards them from the majority of Israeli society. As the article above notes, this removal of their military service exemption has overwhelming support amongst the general population.
But you’re definitely right in saying that this throws a spanner in the works, albeit mostly for Netanyahu. His brittle coalition relies heavily on support from the two main Haredi parties in the Knesset. This new policy could backfire on him.
That’s a really good summary of the facts. Thank you so much
I always thought ultra orthodox Jews = hasidic Jews, aren’t they against Israel as a country and are anti-zionists?
I didn’t realise it was possible to hate every side of an argument this strongly.
I feel the same way about arguments between big corporations.
I don’t know enough to say this but I can ask it: If being ultra-orthodox exempts you from service, doesn’t that provide an incentive to become ultra-orthodox? So will this cause more people to fall out of ultraorthodoxy? Or is there no joining involved, just being born into it?
Anyone with a Jewish mother is considered a Jew and can choose to life the religion to that extent. However i am quite sure you will need to have made the decision and devoted your time to the necessary studies years before military service for the exemption to be granted.
Think of it this way. Any christian can decide to move to a monastery as a priest or nun. But if he wants to do that not to get drafted he should do that a bit earlier than the draft date.
I expect a lot were raised as such by their parents/community, which isolates them from society as a whole. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out once they get exposure to other mindsets. And gurls.
The best part is how this might finally get Netanyahu out of office. He kicked off the
wargenocide to appease the ultra conservatives, which he needs to hold his government together. If said UCs get hoisted by their own petard, they’ll blame him.“Welcome to the party, pal.” - John McClane, Die Hard (1988)
Still the best Christmas movie ever made
This is my go to when people are over around that time of year and want to watch a “Christmas classic”
Usually they’re something depressing like It’s a Wonderful Life or something straight up annoying, like The Grinch.
(Can I just say it- the Who’s of Whoville are shitty neighbors.)
A runner up is Home Alone.
Okay, I don’t really understand but if I’m wrong let me know.
So I’d assume ultra orthodox, from context, would be the most likely to be Zionist, based on the history of why Israel was created in the first place.
and they’ve been exempt from mandatory military service, which has mostly been used in the Israel-Palestine conflict, up until now?
And this is destabilizing the current regime?
If I’m understanding this correctly this is fucking insane.
So I’d assume ultra orthodox, from context, would be the most likely to be Zionist, based on the history of why Israel was created in the first place.
Israeli ultra-orthodox are kind of ambivalent about Zionism, despite living in Israel. Boy, do they hate non-Jewish minorities though.
I feel like being ground zero and ambivalent and anti non Jewish minorities are all things that I dislike about zionists, so basically same level of complicity to me. The whole dodging mandatory military service thing to help enforce a genocide thing is like… I don’t understand which side of that unholy union I dislike yes but the amount is so high that it’s probably irrelevant
This is the best summary I could come up with:
In a landmark ruling that threatens to unravel Israel’s government, the country’s Supreme Court has ordered the military to begin drafting ultra-Orthodox men, who’ve long been exempt from service.
Tuesday’s decision was unanimous, and comes amid intensified public opposition to the policy following the Hamas-led attack on Israel last year, and the months-long war in Gaza that has strained the military’s resources.
Before Tuesday’s ruling, the Israeli government had repeatedly extended the waiver, but it has been unable to pass a law that would make it permanent, or allow for a more limited draft of ultra-Orthodox men.
With conscription of the ultra-Orthodox now set to start, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu now faces the prospect of eroding support within what was already a fragile coalition keeping him in power.
The ultra-Orthodox military exemption goes back to Israel’s 1948 founding in the wake of the Holocaust, when protecting the remnant of religious scholars was considered key for a Jewish state.
But in Israel, where military service is otherwise mandatory, Haredi families have on average six or seven children, a birth rate that makes them the fastest growing segment of the country’s population.
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