On Tuesday, June 25, Israel’s Supreme Court unanimously struck down a military draft exemption privilege for members of its ultra-Orthodox Jewish community. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu relies on the support of two ultra-Orthodox parties to maintain power, both of which oppose the court ruling. The court held, in essence, that these military draft exemptions are inherently unequal and that such inequality cannot be justified given the alarming possibility of an expanding two-front war against both Hamas and Hezbollah.

Watch the video above as Straight Arrow News contributor Peter Zeihan explains why we’re witnessing the end of military draft exemptions and what’s likely to come next.

The following is an excerpt from Peter’s July 2 “Zeihan on Geopolitics” newsletter:

The Israeli Supreme Court just ruled that the ultra-Orthodox community will no longer get exemption from military service. This addresses a number of long-standing issues, but it could spell trouble for Netanyahu’s political career.

The ultra-Orthodox community makes up 10%-20% of the population, pays less taxes relative to their share of the population than secular Israelis, receives subsidies, has low labor participation… so until now, the rest of the population has been picking up the slack. By eliminating military exemption for the ultra-Orthodox community, that extra weight can be lifted from the remaining population.

As you would expect, the ultra-Orthodox aren’t thrilled with this decision and they’ll likely be making that known politically. Since the ultra-Orthodox parties are key supporters of Netanyahu’s coalition, don’t be surprised if we see some changes soon. This will only be amplified by criticisms of Netanyahu’s handling of the Hamas conflict and strategic incompetence.