Second ultra-Orthodox party quits Israel Cabinet, but throws Netanyahu a lifeline
JERUSALEM - A second ultra-Orthodox party quit Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Cabinet on July 16, but said it would remain within his coalition for now, giving the government more time to resolve a thorny dispute over military conscription.
A day earlier, the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party
abandoned the coalition over the deeply divisive issue, leaving Mr Netanyahu with just a one-seat majority in Parliament.
But rather than follow suit, the ultra-Orthodox Shas party said on July 16 it would just pull its ministers from government ranks while continuing to back the coalition in Parliament.
'Shas representatives... find with a heavy heart that they cannot stay in the government and be a part of it,' the group said in a statement, a day after the UTJ party announced its full walkout.
The Shas decision means Mr Netanyahu does not face the threat of early elections - for now - nor does it undermine his efforts to secure a possible Gaza ceasefire.
Israel's Parliament starts a three-month summer recess on July 27, giving Mr Netanyahu time to try to resolve the problem of
who should serve in the military – a debate that has long caused huge tensions within Israel's deeply divided society.
There was no immediate comment from Mr Netanyahu or other partners within his increasingly splintered Cabinet.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore Over 600 Telegram groups in Singapore selling, advertising vapes removed by HSA
Singapore 2 weeks' jail for man caught smuggling over 1,800 vapes and pods into Singapore
Singapore Jail for man who fatally hit his daughter, 2, while driving van without licence
Sport 'Like being in a washing machine with 40 deg C water': Open water swimmers brave challenging conditions
Singapore Primary 1 registration: 38 primary schools to conduct ballot in Phase 2A
Singapore ComfortDelGro to introduce new taxi cancellation, waiting fee policy
Business Cathay Cineplexes gets fresh demands to pay up $3.3m debt for Century Square, Causeway Point outlets
Singapore Countering misinformation requires both laws and access to trusted news sources: Josephine Teo
While the ultra-Orthodox parties have focused their anger on the conscription issue, far-right parties have been pressing Mr Netanyahu not to make concessions in ceasefire talks with Hamas militants that are under way in Qatar.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich want Israel to press on with the war, but Mr Netanyahu would still be likely to have enough Cabinet votes to back any eventual ceasefire without them.
War weary
Underscoring divisions in the coalition, Shas in its statement on July 16 urged Mr Netanyahu to do 'everything in his power' to reach a deal with Hamas.
Israelis have become increasingly weary of the 21-month war in Gaza, which began with Israel's single deadliest day on Oct 7, 2023, when
a surprise attack by Hamas killed 1,200 and saw 251 taken hostage by the Palestinian militants.
Israel's subsequent offensive against Hamas has killed more than 58,000 Palestinians, according to health officials, displaced almost the entire population of Gaza, led to
a humanitarian crisis and left much of the enclave in ruins.
It has also exacted Israel's highest military death toll in decades, with around 450 soldiers killed so far in Gaza combat.
This has added fuel to an already explosive debate over a new conscription Bill that lies at the centre of the latest crisis to rattle Mr Netanyahu's coalition, which took office in late 2022 and is due to stay in office until the autumn of 2026.
Ultra-Orthodox seminary students have long been exempt from mandatory military service. Many Israelis are angered by what they see as an unfair burden carried by the mainstream who serve.
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish leaders say full-time devotion to the study of holy scriptures is sacrosanct and fear their young men will steer away from religious life if they are drafted into the military.
In 2024. the Supreme Court ordered an end to the exemption. Parliament has been trying to work out a new conscription Bill, which has so far failed to meet UTJ demands. REUTERS
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
7 hours ago
- Straits Times
Israeli evacuation order in central Gaza ‘devastating' to aid efforts: UN
Find out what's new on ST website and app. The latest order means that 87.8 per cent of Gaza's area is now under displacement orders or within Israeli militarised zones. UNITED NATIONS, United States - An Israeli military order for residents and displaced people in Gaza's Deir el-Balah area to move south dealt 'another devastating blow' to humanitarian efforts in the war-ravaged territory, the UN's OCHA aid agency said on July 20. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 'warns that today's mass displacement order issued by the Israeli military has dealt yet another devastating blow to the already fragile lifelines keeping people alive across the Gaza Strip,' it said in a statement. On the morning of July 20, the Israeli military ordered those in the central Gaza area to leave immediately due to imminent operations, with whole families seen lugging their few belongings and heading south. OCHA said UN staff were 'remaining' in the territory and their coordinates had been shared with 'relevant parties'. 'These locations – as with all civilian sites – must be protected, regardless of displacement orders,' OCHA said, warning that any damage to health clinics, water infrastructure , and aid warehouses in the area 'will have life-threatening consequences'. Between 50,000 and 80,000 people were in the area when the evacuation order was issued, according to OCHA's initial estimates. Since the start of the war, nearly all of Gaza's population – which is also facing severe food shortages – has been displaced at least once by repeated Israeli evacuation orders. According to OCHA, the latest order means that 87.8 per cent of Gaza's area is now under displacement orders or within Israeli militarised zones. That leaves '2.1 million civilians squeezed into a fragmented 12 per cent of the Strip, where essential services have collapsed,' said the UN agency. The order 'will limit the ability of the UN and our partners to move safely and effectively within Gaza, choking humanitarian access when it is needed most'. Israel on July 20 withdrew the residency permit of the head of the OCHA office in the country, Mr Jonathan Whittall, who has repeatedly condemned the humanitarian conditions in Gaza. Israel's military campaign in Gaza has killed 58,895 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. The UN finds these figures credible. The war was sparked by Hamas's 2023 attack on Israel in which 1,219 people, most of them civilians, were killed, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. AFP
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Straits Times
Gaza civil defence says Israeli attacks kill 26 near two aid centres
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Children queue with pots to receive meals from a charity kitchen in Gaza City on July 14. GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories - Gaza's civil defence agency on July 19 said Israeli attacks killed 26 people and wounded more than 100 near two aid centres in the south of the Palestinian territory. Agency spokesman Mahmud Basal told AFP that 22 were killed near a site south-west of Khan Yunis and four near another centre north-west of Rafah, blaming 'Israeli gunfire' for both. One eyewitness said he headed to the Al-Tina area of Khan Yunis before dawn with five of his relatives to try to get food when 'Israeli soldiers' started shooting. 'My relatives and I were unable to get anything,' Mr Abdul Aziz Abed, 37, told AFP. 'Every day I go there and all we get is bullets and exhaustion instead of food .' The Israeli military said it was 'looking into' the claims when contacted by AFP. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the agency and other parties. The war in Gaza, sparked by militant group Hamas's deadly attack on Israel on Oct 7, 2023, has created dire humanitarian conditions for the local population. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Mindef, SAF units among those dealing with attack on S'pore's critical information infrastructure Singapore Bukit Panjang LRT disruption: Train service resumes after power fault affects 13-station line Asia Autogate glitch causes chaos at KLIA and Johor checkpoints, foreign passport holders affected Singapore A deadly cocktail: Easy access, lax attitudes driving Kpod scourge in S'pore Singapore 'I thought it was an April Fool's joke': Teen addicted to Kpods on news that friend died Singapore Who decides when you can't? A guide on planning for end-of-life care Singapore Why hiring more teachers makes sense, even with falling student numbers Singapore New auto pet wash service in Buona Vista draws flak, but company stands by its safety The more than two million people who live in the densely populated coastal territory are facing severe shortages of food and other essentials, and doctors have reported a spike in acute malnutrition. Deaths of people waiting for handouts in huge crowds near aid distribution centres have become a regular occurrence, with the Palestinian authorities blaming Israeli fire. Agitators The civil defence agency reported that nine people were shot and killed near the same aid point in the Al-Shakoush area north-west of Rafah on July 19. The US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation , which took over the running of aid distribution in late May, said 20 people died in Khan Yunis on July 16. But it blamed 'agitators in the crowd... armed and affiliated with Hamas' for creating 'a chaotic and dangerous surge' and firing at aid-seekers. The previous day, the UN said it had recorded 875 people killed in Gaza while trying to get food, including 674 'in the vicinity of GHF sites', since it began operating. The free flow of aid into Gaza is a key demand of Hamas in the indirect talks with Israel for a 60-day ceasefire in the 21-month war. It also wants a full Israeli military withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. For its part, Israel wants Hamas to disarm to neutralise it as a security threat and the release of hostages still being held. Both sides have accused the other of intransigence and holding up a deal. Hamas's 2023 attack on Israel led to the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Of the 251 people taken hostage that day, 49 are still in Gaza, including the 27 the Israeli military says are dead. Israel's retaliatory military action has killed 58,667 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. AFP
AsiaOne
2 days ago
- AsiaOne
Israel will not renew visa of top UN humanitarian official, World News
WASHINGTON - Israel has declined to renew the visa for Jonathan Whittall, the senior UN aid official for the occupied Palestinian territories, a UN spokesperson said on Friday (July 18), adding there were intensifying threats of reduced access to suffering civilians. Eri Kaneko, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said visas for UN staff were recently renewed for shorter periods than usual and access requests to Gaza were denied for multiple agencies. Kaneko said permits for Palestinian staff to enter East Jerusalem were also withheld. Why it's important Gaza is in the midst of a devastating Israeli military assault following a deadly October 2023 attack by Palestinian Hamas militants. Israel has come under mounting criticism from the UN during its war in the Palestinian enclave, which has internally displaced Gaza's entire population and caused a hunger crisis. Key quotes "Last week, it was indicated to us that our current Head of Office, Jonathan Whittall, won't have his visa extended by Israeli authorities beyond August. This came immediately after remarks he made at a press briefing about starving people being killed while trying to reach food," Kaneko said. Israel's mission to the UN did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Israel has previously dismissed UN criticism as being biased. Context [[nid:720336]] The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered in October 2023 when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, Israeli tallies show. Gaza's health ministry says Israel's subsequent military assault has killed over 58,000 Palestinians. It has also prompted accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice and of war crimes at the International Criminal Court. Israel denies the accusations. The UN rights office says it recorded nearly 900 killings within the past six weeks near aid distribution sites and aid convoys in Gaza.
