Israel’s ultra-Orthodox still won’t fight, invoking scripture
An age-old argument is making Binyamin Netanhayu face an enduring dilemma
The armed forces bent over backwards on August 4th to welcome a new wave of recruits. Induction centres in Jerusalem and Tel Hashomer near Tel Aviv were adapted to soothe the religious sensitivities of prospective draftees. No female soldiers were in sight, so as not to offend the young men who had grown up in an environment strictly segregated by sex.
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This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Exemption by heavenly order”
From the August 17th 2024 edition
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