Two major discordant issues that vexed Israel before October 7, 2023, continue to cleave Israeli society: a possible exemption from mandatory military service for the Haredim and the Netanyahu government’s persistent effort to wrench from the judiciary its independence, seeking to give the government with the parliamentary majority an opportunity to control who sits on the bench and how the courts participate in Israel’s political system. Insightful and multiple discussions of the military service controversy and the judicial overhaul can be found at the Israel Democracy Institute.

In late January 2025, Shas party leader Aryeh Deri gave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu an ultimatum of two months: either pass the law exempting Haredim from military service, or Shas will leave the coalition. With many Israelis having served multiple stints of service during the current war with Hamas — many having fallen in battle, others severely injured and exposed to multiple psychological issues, and their family members having been taken hostage — anger against the Haredim for not serving is at a boiling point. That is compounded by the reality that the Israeli Haredim and other religious sects take more from the annual budget per capita than is channeled to secular needs for education, infrastructure and the like.

Though Israelis have shown enormous resilience since the Hamas attack in confronting multiple external threats, these two issues gnaw at and erode the fiber of Israeli society and will likely continue to do so regardless of whether the cease-fire in Gaza holds.

— Ken Stein, February 2, 2025