Netanyahu Coallition Collapse Looms Amid Ultra-Orthodox Backlash
Haredi backlash over military draft exemptions threatens to topple Israeli government ahead of critical June 11 vote
Occupied Palestine, PUREWILAYAH.COM - Israel’s political landscape plunged deeper into crisis on Wednesday as the ultra-Orthodox Shas party formally endorsed the dissolution of the Knesset.
This move was prompted by the government’s failure to advance legislation codifying military draft exemptions for Haredi yeshiva students—a long-standing but increasingly controversial policy.
Shas leader Aryeh Deri stated bluntly: “There is no choice left. We don't like it, but we need to support the dissolution of the Knesset.”
With 11 Knesset seats, Shas’s withdrawal would leave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition below the crucial 61-seat threshold in the 120-member parliament, essentially triggering its collapse. United Torah Judaism (UTJ), which holds 7 seats, has also voiced support for dissolution, though it lacks the numbers to act independently.
Supreme Court Ruling Sparks Legislative Crisis
The political standoff stems from a landmark March 2024 Israeli Supreme Court decision declaring longstanding draft exemptions for Haredi Jews unconstitutional.
The ruling deepened fault lines between secular and religious factions and left Netanyahu with no viable compromise: pass an exemption law and face public and legal backlash, or risk losing the support of his ultra-Orthodox allies.
Amid failed backdoor negotiations, Shas held an emergency meeting while centrist and secular opposition parties—including Yesh Atid, Yisrael Beiteinu, and the Democrats—submitted a joint motion to dissolve the Knesset.
“This Knesset is finished,” said opposition leader Yair Lapid. “It has nowhere left to go. All it has brought to the State of Israel is pain, tragedy, bereavement, and crisis.” A preliminary vote on the motion is scheduled for June 11.
Likud Faces Internal Revolt Over Draft Law
The crisis has revealed sharp divisions within Netanyahu’s own Likud party. Ultra-Orthodox leaders are demanding the removal of Yuli Edelstein, chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, due to his firm opposition to Haredi draft evasion.
Edelstein rejected even partial compromises, such as an 18-month shortened service term, and called for punitive measures against draft dodgers.
Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi reportedly offered to resign in order to replace Edelstein and push the exemption bill forward. Meanwhile, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich warned, “The governmental crisis is dangerous, and we are close to early elections, which could lead to the stop or loss of war.”
Haredi Rabbis Issues Ultimatum
Tensions peaked after two of the most powerful Ashkenazi Haredi rabbis, Dov Landau and Moshe Hillel Hirsch, refused to meet with Netanyahu, stating, “There is no point in further discussions.”
Their refusal marked the end of negotiations, coming just hours after the Haredi-imposed deadline to pass the exemption law had expired.
Both factions of UTJ—Degel HaTorah and Agudat Yisrael—have reportedly received spiritual directives to exit the coalition. Degel's Rabbi Moshe Hirsch emphasized “there is no progress at all on the draft issue,” while Agudat Yisrael leaders are now drafting legislation to call for early elections. Senior member Moshe Babchik has even met with opposition leader Benny Gantz to discuss joint efforts.
Countdown to Collapse
With a current tally of 68 seats, Netanyahu’s coalition is hanging by a thread. Should Shas and UTJ follow through on their threats, the government will fall short of a parliamentary majority.
Despite the looming threat of early elections and growing international attention to Israel’s domestic instability, Haredi leaders remain adamant in defending what they call the “red line”: protecting the Torah-observant community from mandatory military service.
The next several days will be critical in determining whether Netanyahu can salvage his government or if he will be forced into a premature and politically perilous election cycle. (ARN)
Source: Al-Mayadeen
Maybe the only solution is a 2-state solution - one state for Charedim and one state for the rest.
Or a multiple state solution - Charedim, Sefardim, Jews of Hungarian descent (who always tell me that they are a superior race to other Ashkenazim), Polish Jews, French Jews etc. Most groups in Israel seem to dislike each other because they are really their ethnicity first and their Jewish identity second.