ISRAEL’S Supreme Court ruled unanimously today that the military must begin to conscript ultra-Orthodox Jewish men, a landmark decision that could wreck the governing coalition.

The decision followed comments by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the “intense phase” of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza is nearly over and that its forces will move to the northern border with Lebanon to concentrate on fighting Shi’ite resistance movement Hezbollah.

Today’s historic ruling effectively puts an end to a decades-old system that granted ultra-Orthodox men broad exemptions from military service while maintaining mandatory enlistment for all other Israeli citizens.