Israeli military sends draft notices for ultra-Orthodox

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The Israeli military issued call-up notices to 1,000 members of the ultra-Orthodox community on Sunday in a move meant to bolster the army's ranks but which could further inflame tensions between religious and secular Israelis.

The Supreme Court ruled last month that the defence ministry could no longer grant blanket exemptions to Jewish seminary students from the conscript military. That arrangement had been in place since around the time of Israel's establishment in 1948 when the number of ultra-Orthodox, or Haredi, was tiny.

The new policy shift has been opposed by the two religious parties in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, placing severe strains on the right-wing coalition as the war in Gaza continues.

Leaders of the rapidly growing ultra-Orthodox community say that forcing seminary students to serve alongside secular Israelis including women risks destroying their identity as religious Jews. Some rabbis have urged anyone in their community who receives call-up orders to burn them.

Still, not all Haredim refuse to serve. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have created a number of units for the ultra-Orthodox.

A number of new Haredi recruits already in the system who had not sought exemptions reported for duty on Sunday, even though they hoped a middle ground could be reached.

"If you want to draft Haredis, first learn what you need to do to draft Haredis. Don't do it forcefully," said Netsach Cohen, 19, before entering the recruitment base.

Others from more devout Haredi communities said they would never agree to serve in the military.

"Whoever does not understand the value of study cannot understand why Haredis do not want to be recruited," said David Mizrahi, 22-year-old seminary student from Jerusalem.

Forcing the issue will make the dispute worse, he said.

Following the first set of call-ups, further notices for an initial total of 3,000 ultra-Orthodox conscripts are expected to be sent out in coming weeks.

The government is still trying to pass a conscription law that would potentially create some limited compromise and resolve the issue before it threatens the stability of the coalition.

However, with Israeli troops still fighting in Gaza, more than nine months after the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, and a growing threat of war in Lebanon, pressure from the army and secular Israelis to spread the burden of serving in the military has grown sharply.

Israelis are bound by law to serve in the military from the age of 18 for 24-32 months. Members of Israel's 21-percent Arab minority are mostly exempt, though some do serve.

(Reporting by Dedi Hayun, Rami Amichay and Ari Rabinovitch, Editing by Timothy Heritage)