Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is looking increasing precarious as international opposition grows. When I went to Friday night dinner at my in-law’s last week, everyone was gripped by the Israeli Supreme Court’s decision to remove state funding from Orthodox Yeshivas, unless they break their 76-year practice of refusing to enlist in the military.
The court ruled that as of 1 April, ultra-Orthodox schools will no longer receive any state funds unless they allow their students to serve in the IDF, as all other Jewish Israelis must do.
This marks the end of the uneasy status quo that’s existed since the formation of Israel. Back in 1947, the then chairman of the Jewish Agency, David Ben Gurion wrote a letter to Haredi representatives reassuring them that his new state would allow a separate education system for the ultra-Orthodox society. In 1949, as Prime Minister, Ben-Gurion officially exempted yeshiva students from military service. Ben-Gurion later regretted it.
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