Armstrong Economics: 19-06-2026,
Tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews have taken to the streets, blocking highways, shutting down rail lines, and clashing with police over mandatory military conscription. Some demonstrations have brought major cities to a standstill. This is no fringe protest. It is a direct challenge to the authority of the state itself and highlights a deep fracture that has been growing within Israeli society for decades.
What the outside world often fails to understand is that the issue goes back to the founding of Israel in 1948. Ultra-Orthodox Jews, known as Haredim, were granted exemptions from military service if they devoted themselves to full-time religious study. At the time, the numbers were relatively small. Today, however, the ultra-Orthodox population represents roughly 13% of Israel’s population and is one of the fastest-growing demographic groups in the country. After years of legal battles, Israel’s courts ruled that the blanket exemptions could no longer continue indefinitely. The military has now issued tens of thousands of draft notices, yet only a fraction have responded.
Israel is simultaneously fighting multiple conflicts while suffering manpower shortages. Reservists have been called up repeatedly, many serving hundreds of days away from their families and businesses. As casualties mount and military commitments expand, resentment has grown among secular and traditional Israelis who see themselves carrying the burden while a large segment of society remains exempt. The result has been a political explosion that has destabilized Netanyahu’s government and contributed to the collapse of his coalition.