Israeli court halts subsidies for ultra-Orthodox, deepening turmoil over mandatory military service

By MELANIE LIDMAN
Associated Press

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel’s Supreme Court has ordered an end to government subsidies for many ultra-Orthodox men who don’t serve in the army. It’s a blockbuster ruling that could have far-reaching consequences for Israel’s government and the tens of thousands of religious men who refuse to take part in mandatory military service. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces the most serious threat yet to his government as he struggles to bridge a major split in the shaky national unity government cobbled together after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. In his coalition, the powerful bloc of ultra-Orthodox parties demands that religious men be exempted. The centrist members of his War Cabinet insist all sectors of Israeli society must share the burden of the war in Gaza.