Thousands of Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) Jews clashed with Israeli police and stormed a military base to protest the arrest of a draft refuser, exposing Israel’s internal crisis over mandatory conscription. The confrontation at Beit Lid illustrates the simmering tensions between the IDF’s growing personnel needs and longstanding religious exemptions. With the government’s political future tied to ultra-Orthodox parties and new laws elevating Torah study, the conflict over military service has reached a critical point.