TEL AVIV – An ultra-Orthodox party in Israel, which has played a crucial role in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition, declared early Tuesday that it would leave the government. This move threatens to unsettle Netanyahu’s leadership during a critical moment in the Gaza conflict.
The exit involves United Torah Judaism’s two factions, which decided to depart due to disputes over a bill related to granting widespread military draft exemptions to their community members, who often focus on religious studies rather than military service. This topic has long been contentious among Jewish Israelis, the majority of whom must serve in the military, and the discord has intensified since the onset of the Gaza conflict, which has heightened the need for military personnel.
Degel HaTorah, a faction of United Torah Judaism, explained in a statement that due to “the government repeatedly violating its promises to maintain the status of Jewish seminary students,” its members would “withdraw from the coalition and the government.”
The departure of a party that has long served as a kingmaker in Israeli politics doesn’t immediately threaten Netanyahu’s rule. But, once it comes into effect within 48 hours, it will leave the Israeli leader with a slim majority in a government that could now more heavily rely on the whims of two far-right parties. Those parties oppose concessions in ceasefire negotiations with Hamas and have themselves quit or threatened to quit the government over moves to end or even pause the war in Gaza.
The political shake-up comes as Israel and Hamas are discussing the terms of a truce for the 21-month war in Gaza. Despite heavy pressure by the U.S., Israel’s top ally, and mediators Egypt and Qatar, there is no breakthrough yet in the talks. A recurring sticking point has been whether the war ends as part of any truce and Netanyahu’s far-right coalition allies oppose ending the war while Hamas remains intact.
United Torah Judaism’s departure has a window of 48 hours before becoming official, meaning Netanyahu can still find ways to satisfy the party and bring it back into the coalition. But Shuki Friedman, vice president of the Jewish People Policy Institute, said the gaps between the draft law currently on the table and the demands of the party are still wide, making a compromise unlikely during that time.
Friedman said the party’s departure doesn’t immediately put Netanyahu’s rule at risk. A vote to dissolve parliament that would bring down the government and trigger new elections can’t be brought by the opposition until the end of the year because of procedural reasons. And a summer recess for Parliament, beginning later this month and stretching until October, gives Netanyahu another attempt to bridge the gaps and bring the party back into the coalition.
Cabinet Minister Miki Zohar, from Netanyahu’s Likud party, said he was hopeful the party could be coaxed back to the coalition. “God willing, everything will be fine,” he said.
A Likud spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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