A second ultra-Orthodox or Haredi party has quit Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition government, leaving it on the brink of collapse.
The Shas party resigned on Wednesday, protesting the ruling coalition's failure to pass a law to exempt their community from conscription or compulsory military service. The move came just days after another ultra-Orthodox party, United Torah Judaism (UTJ), quit both the government and the coalition over the same reason.
But rather than follow suit, the Shas party, which has long served as kingmaker in Israeli politics, stopped short of withdrawing its support for the coalition in parliament. Shas even reiterated that it would vote with the coalition on some legislations.
The announcement followed a meeting of the ultra-Orthodox Council of Torah Sages. Religious Services Minister Michael Malkieli, reading a statement by the Council, said that it was impossible to be a partner in the government in the current situation. He also hit out at actions taken by the Israeli military and Attorney General to pursue draft dodgers. Malkieli decried the move as a cruel and criminal persecution against yeshiva students, and blamed Netanyahu’s Likud party for it.
So, what does this mean for Netanyahu’s fractious coalition government?
After the UTJ quit, Netanyahu was left with a razor-thin majority of 61 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, or parliament. Once Shas' resignations are put forward, there's a 48-hour window before they become official. This gives Netanyahu a chance to salvage his government. Because without Shas, Netanyahu’s coalition would have 50 seats in the 120-seat Knesset - turning it into a minority government.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid has used this opportunity to call for snap elections. In a video posted to X, Lapid lamented that “a minority government cannot send soldiers to the battlefield” because it's “not a legitimate government”.
Netanyahu, during a visit to a military training base in the Jordan Valley, appealed to his coalition partners asking them to join him in leading a process “that mobilises all the forces within the Jewish society to truly preserve our state and protect our people”.
Military service is compulsory for most Jewish Israelis and hence exemption is a deeply divisive issue that has long plagued the country.
The ultra-Orthodox or Haredis have been effectively exempted from military service under an arrangement dating back to Israel's founding in 1948. An arrangement which exempts “yeshiva” or seminary students as long as they dedicate themselves to religious studies. Haredi leaders have consistently argued that full-time devotion to holy scriptures study is not only sacrosanct but also a service to the nation. Furthermore, they fear their young men will turn away from religious life if they are drafted into the military.
But most Jewish Israelis see the exemption as unfair.
The haredis were dealt a huge blow last year when the Supreme Court ordered the Ministry of Defense to end that practice, and asked the government to start conscripting seminary students. This, after public support for the exemptions waned, particularly as the army faces manpower shortages after more than 21 months of war in Gaza.
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Since the court order, Netanyahu’s government has been trying to work out a new conscription bill, which has so far failed to meet the demands of both Shas and UTJ. Ultra-Orthodox allies insist that a bill to exempt yeshiva from conscription was a key promise in their agreement to join Netanyahu’s coalition in late 2022.This leaves Netanyahu in a fix.
Especially since National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich want Israel to press on with the war. They’ve implored the Israeli PM to not make concessions to Hamas in the ceasefire talks that are underway in Qatar.
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The exit of Shas and UTJ come days before the Israeli Parliament begins its three-month recess on July 27. This would give Netanyahu several months of little to no legislative activity and thus help him shore up support.
If he doesn’t, it could mean early elections in Israel, which are currently scheduled for October 2026.
