Israel’s high court orders the army to draft ultra-Orthodox men, rattling Netanyahu’s government
Associated PressJUN 2024
Israeli Government Faces Dissolution over Ultra-Orthodox Conscription
Above: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) speaks with Aryeh Deri (L), chairman of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, during a parliament session in Jerusalem on July 24, 2023. Image copyright: Ronaldo Schemidt/Contributor/AFP via Getty Images
The Spin
Left narrative
Ironically, it was not the horrors of the Gaza war that have brought Netanyahu and his government to its knees. Rather, it was the draft of the ultra-Orthodox. The fissures in Netanyahu's government demonstrate the larger split in Israeli society — the divide between the country's secular establishment and the growing power of religious elements of Israeli society. With the growing pressure, Netanyahu's days in power may be numbered.
Right narrative
Though the current turmoil within Netanyahu's coalition is unfortunate, the prime minister still has time to maneuver and find a compromise. Indeed, the ultra-Orthodox community's religious values can be respected while Israel's security is ensured. Reports of the government's imminent collapse are misleading and alarmist, as nothing is yet set in stone.
Pro-Palestine narrative
Regardless of the political scandal of the week in Israel, the country's genocide in Gaza has continued unabated. Israelis are rarely divided over their treatment of Palestinians, and the secular establishment often heralded in the Western media as the country's savior is just as genocidal and cruel as the religious forces trying to take over the country.