The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is facing one of the most serious threats yet to his coalition government after the country’s supreme court ordered an end to government subsidies from Monday for many ultra-Orthodox men who do not serve in the army.
The ruling follows a series of delays by the government in presenting a proposal to the court aimed at enhancing the military enlistment of ultra-Orthodox men, who have historically been exempt from conscription.
The court has previously ruled the current system discriminatory and given the government until Monday to present a new plan, and until 30 June to pass it. Netanyahu, whose government includes parties supportive of and opposed to ultra-Orthodox enlistment, on Thursday asked the court for a 30-day extension to find a compromise.