Israel's contentious military exemption for ultra-Orthodox community

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The Israeli military is set to issue call-up notices to 1,000 members of the Ultra Orthodox Haredi community on Sunday in the latest step in a long-running and divisive battle over conscripting young seminary students into the army.

The move follows a Supreme Court ruling last month that ordered the defence ministry to end the longstanding exemption from military service for the Haredi community.

The exemption, in place for decades and which over the years has exempted an increasingly large number of people, has become a heated topic in Israel with the military embroiled in a war in Gaza and an escalating conflict on its border with Lebanon.

The issue risks destablizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition, which includes two religious parties deeply opposed to conscripting young Orthdox men into the military.

WHAT LIES BEHIND THE RULING?

The exemptions offered to the ultra-Orthodox Haredi community date back to the early days of the state of Israel in 1948 when its first prime minister, the socialist David Ben-Gurion, exempted about 400 students from military service so they could devote themselves to religious study. In so doing, Ben-Gurion hoped to keep alive sacred knowledge and traditions almost wiped out in the Holocaust.

Since then, the exemptions have become an increasing headache as the fast-growing community has expanded to make up more than 13% of Israel's population, a proportion expected to reach around a third within 40 years due to a high birth rate.

The Haredi resistance to joining the military is based around their strong sense of religious identity, which many families fear risks being weakened by army service.

Some Haredi men do serve in the army but most do not, which many secular Israelis feel exacerbates social divisions. Often living in heavily Orthodox neighbourhoods and devoting their lives to religious study, many Haredi men do not work for money but live off donations, state benefits and the often paltry wages of their wives, many of whom do work.

For mainstream Israelis, whose taxes subsidise the Haredim and who are themselves obliged to serve in the military, the exemptions have long bred resentment, and this has grown since the start of the war in Gaza in October.

Many Israelis regard the war against Hamas as an existential battle for the future of the country, and some 300,000 reservists joined up to fight at the start of the war in October. Opinion polls indicate very broad public support for removing the exemptions on the Haredi draft.

The increasingly heavy exchanges of fire between Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah militia and Israel's military across the border has fuelled the debate.

WHAT IS AT STAKE FOR NETANYAHU?

For Netanyahu the stakes are high. While public opinion has tended to favour removing the exemptions, his government includes two Haredi parties whose departure could trigger new elections, which opinion polls indicate he would lose.

In the past, two ultra-Orthodox parties in Netanyahu's coalition, United Torah Judaism and Shas, have vowed to fight any effort to end the exemption.

Some inside Netanyahu's Likud party have shown unease or opposition to the exemption, including Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, an ex-general and a senior member of Likud party.

Gallant voted against a bill which would see a gradual entry into the military of some ultra-Orthodox Jews, rather than an immediate and complete end to the exemption.

WHAT HAPPENS NOW?

The bill on conscription, which has already passed in a first reading, is continuing to work its way through parliament. If it is approved after that process - which could see some amendments - that may defuse any immediate crisis.

If the bill flounders and the ruling holds, it could put extra strains on the Netanyahu's coalition, potentially pushing the nation towards an election if the coalition collapses.

(Reporting by James Mackenzie; Editing by Andrew hEAVENS)