Jerusalem (CNN) -- A day after thousands of Israeli demonstrators demanded an end to rules that make ultra-Orthodox Jews exempt from the draft, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that the nation's approach to military service must change. "The existing situation cannot continue. Neither the army, the economy nor society can continue on the current path," Netanyahu said at the start of his weekly Cabinet meeting. The prime minister named a new team to draw up a law that would "share the burden" of military service, which is required for most Israelis when they reach the age of 18. The existing law provides an exemption for Arabs and ultra-Orthodox Jews.
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"The existing situation cannot continue," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says
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More than 20,000 demonstrators demand reforms to military draft rules
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The controversial topic is a thorny political issue for Netanyahu's government
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A government committee will draw up a proposed new law, he says
Benjamin Netanyahu
Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu
Netanyahu
The issue has been a controversial political topic for months for @placeholder, but time is running out.
Israeli
Israelis
Ultra-Orthodox students have been exempt from service through historical political agreements since @placeholder's establishment in 1948.
ultra-Orthodox Jews
ultra-Orthodox
Both @placeholder and Arab Israeli citizens are exempt from military service.
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Israelis
Both ultra-Orthodox Jews and Arab @placeholder citizens are exempt from military service.
Arabs
"We are facing a historic move, a dramatic increase in the participation of the ultra-Orthodox and @placeholder publics in bearing the burden" Netanyahu said.