New Israeli election highlights tense ties to ultra-Orthodox

By ARON HELLER

File - In this Oct. 19, 2017 file photo, Israeli police scuffle with ultra-Orthodox Jews as they block a main road during a protest against Israeli army conscription, in Jerusalem. The trigger for Israel's unprecedented repeat election in September 2019 touches upon one of the major fault lines in Israeli society -- the role of the ever-growing ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in modern life. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's perspective government collapsed over the issue of military draft exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men, a long source of resentment among the secular majority who are required to serve. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit, File)

FILE - In this March 12, 2018 file photo, Israeli ultra-Orthodox Jewish men block a highway during a protest against the detention of a member of their community who refuses to serve in the military service, in Bnei Brak, Israel. The trigger for Israel's unprecedented repeat election in September 2019 touches upon one of the major fault lines in Israeli society -- the role of the ever-growing ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in modern life. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's perspective government collapsed over the issue of military draft exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men, a long source of resentment among the secular majority who are required to serve. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty, File)

The trigger for Israel's unprecedented repeat election touches upon one of the major fault lines in Israeli society — the role of the growing ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in modern life.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's prospective government collapsed last week over the issue of military draft exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men, a source of longtime resentment among the secular majority of Jewish Israelis who are required to serve.

The conflict over the draft law is just one of several deep disagreements over the role of religion in Israeli society. While religious parties wield significant political influence, experts say their cloistered communities are being left behind by modern society, with long-lasting negative consequences for the future of the country.

https://www.foxnews.com/world/new-israeli-election-highlights-tense-ties-to-ultra-orthodox