The widening schism between Israel's secular and ultra-Orthodox communities impacts not only the state's military and economic wellbeing, but poses an existential threat to the stability of the entire Zionist project.
Israel's ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, known as the Haredim, is the fastest-growing segment of the country's population. This demographic shift is occurring amid escalating tensions between secular right-wing and religious-nationalist factions in Israel, raising concerns about the stability of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's extremist coalition - particularly over contentious issues like
Haredi military conscription.
Projected to constitute approximately
16 percent of the occupation state's population by 2030, the Haredim's burgeoning numbers have triggered a broader societal debate about Israel's future direction. This includes the challenge of reconciling today's Jewish ethno-religious identity politics with the original Israeli aspirations for a modern "liberal-democratic" state framework.
Comment: Google and Israel have had an unholy alliance for quite a while, but the company's serfs are now chafing under it.