Ultra-Orthodox party announces withdrawal from Netanyahu's coalition

The United Torah Judaism is dissatisfied with a draft law presented on Monday evening, which is intended to regulate the military service of ultra-Orthodox men, reported the news website "ynet".

According to reports, the MPs will also resign from their posts within the coalition. United Torah Judaism, for example, provides the Deputy Minister of Transport and the Minister for Jerusalem Affairs. According to the Times of Israel, it may take up to 48 hours before their resignations take effect. This gives Netanyahu time to persuade them to change their minds, the report said.

Otherwise, the government would only have a wafer-thin majority in parliament. It currently holds 68 of the 120 seats there. The United Torah Judaism has seven seats.

Whether the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, which has eleven seats, will also follow this step was initially unclear. It had previously also threatened to leave the coalition. According to the media, however, neither ultra-Orthodox party wants to topple the government. Should the Shas party also leave, the coalition could still try to remain in power as a minority government.

Strictly religious Jews see military service as a threat

Strictly religious men were exempt from compulsory military service in Israel for decades. However, this exemption expired last year. The Israeli government has not yet succeeded in passing a new law to cement this special status for the ultra-Orthodox.

In the summer of 2024, the Supreme Court finally issued a ruling that ultra-Orthodox men must be conscripted for military service. Since then, the government has been struggling to pass a law regulating compulsory military service for the ultra-Orthodox.

Many ultra-Orthodox Jews see military service as a threat to their pious lifestyle, partly because women and men serve together. Many Israelis, on the other hand, feel it is unfair that ultra-Orthodox Jews are exempt from military service and dangerous combat missions.