Issue of ultra-Orthodox conscription in Israel threatens Netanyahu’s govt

The issue of conscripting ultra-Orthodox Jews into the Israeli army has become a thorn in the side of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, sparking threats to derail his coalition and trigger early elections if he ends a long-standing exemption.

Military service is mandatory in Israel, but under a ruling established at the country’s creation — when the ultra-Orthodox were a very small community — men who devote themselves full-time to the study of sacred Jewish texts are given a de facto…