New Draft Law Sparks Protests, Threatens Netanyahu Coalition Stability
A controversial bill to conscript ultra Orthodox men into the Israeli military reignited street protests on November 29, deepening political fissures within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's fragile coalition. The debate matters because it touches wartime manpower needs, rule of law obligations set by the Supreme Court, and social cohesion at a moment when Israel relies heavily on reservists.
Street demonstrations flared across Israel on November 29 after the Knesset advanced a new law intended to expand military service among ultra Orthodox men. The legislation, a centerpiece of fraught coalition negotiations, immediately revived long standing tensions over equality, security and the distribution of wartime burdens in a country still mobilized after the October 7 attacks.
For Netanyahu, who leads a delicate governing alliance, the draft bill has become a political lightning rod. Ultra Orthodox parties within the coalition threatened to quit or to take other political action, raising the prospect that the measure meant to shore up national defense could instead bring down the government. Newspapers criticized the law as ineffective and unlikely to resolve the larger questions it purports to answer.
The timing of the proposal has intensified scrutiny. Israel remains in a state of large scale mobilization, and its armed forces have relied heavily on reserve units to sustain operations. Calls for a fairer sharing of military service have grown louder among secular Israelis who saw the burden of the war fall disproportionately on those already serving. At the same time, advocates for the ultra Orthodox community frame participation in the workforce and engagement with secular society in different terms, complicating policy fixes that aim to be both legally sound and politically feasible.
The Israeli Supreme Court previously demanded a workable plan for conscription, establishing a legal backdrop that confronts lawmakers now. Critics say the new bill falls short of that mandate by preserving loopholes that could be read as special privileges for those who have avoided service. Supporters argue that the law represents a pragmatic compromise intended to increase enlistment without fracturing the coalition further. The competing narratives underscore the friction between constitutional principles of equality and the political realities of coalition governance.
Beyond domestic politics, the dispute carries international resonance. Allies watching Israel's capacity to sustain a protracted conflict are attuned to the size and readiness of its reserve force. Legal experts and human rights observers also monitor equality before the law as a barometer of democratic resilience during emergencies. The draft measure, and the public reaction to it, will therefore be read abroad as an indicator of Israel's internal cohesion and institutional stability.
Analysts say the coming days will be decisive. If ultra Orthodox parties follow through on threats to withdraw support, the government could face either a reshuffle of parliamentary alignments or early elections, at a moment when continuity of leadership is tied directly to wartime strategy. If judicial review is sought, the courts may again be asked to reconcile competing claims about fairness, security and the limits of political compromise. For many Israelis, the debate is not only about numbers and exemptions, but about what it means to bear the costs of national survival together.
