Israeli police stand next to an ultra-Orthodox Jewish protester after he was removed from the tracks while blocking a light rail train during a demonstration against military conscription in Jerusalem on June 10, 2026. Israel's High Court of Justice in April ordered the state to cut financial benefits to ultra-Orthodox Jews who dodge being drafted and to start criminal proceedings against them. There is a long-standing exemption from compulsory national service for ultra-Orthodox men who engage in full-time religious study, which dates back to Israel's founding in 1948. However, the Supreme Court has repeatedly challenged the exemption in recent years, culminating in a 2024 ruling that the government must conscript ultra-Orthodox men. (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP via Getty Images)