Latest news with #Ultra-Orthodox
Mint
6 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
Netanyahu's govt under threat: How numbers stack up for Israeli PM in Parliament? What happenes next?
Israel's ultra-Orthodox party Shas — a key governing partner of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — became the second party to quit the government this week. Unlike the United Torah Judaism (UTJ), the Shas party said on Wednesday it would remain within Netanyahu-led coalition for now, giving the government more time to resolve a thorny dispute over military conscription. Ultra-Orthodox group United Torah Judaism (UTJ) had abandoned the coalition on Tuesday. Six of the remaining seven members of UTJ, which is comprised of the Degel HaTorah and Agudat Yisrael factions, wrote letters of resignation, Aljazeera reported. But rather than follow suit, Shas said on Wednesday it would remove its ministers from government ranks while continuing to support the coalition in parliament. The latest development has left PM Netanyahu's government with a minority in parliament. Shas said late Wednesday its 11 members will resign from the Netanyahu government, leaving the prime minister wielding just 50 seats in parliament, short of a minimum 61-seat majority in the 120-seat Knesset, or parliament. The Associated Press reported that leading a minority government would make governing a challenge for Netanyahu. However, Reuters said Shas' decision means Netanyahu does not face the threat of early elections, for now, nor does it undermine his efforts to secure a possible Gaza ceasefire. Bloomberg also reported that the decision won't trigger an immediate collapse of the government or an early election. With parliament preparing to go on recess at the end of the month, there's room for Netanyahu to negotiate a solution for the impasse. Israel's parliament starts a three-month summer recess on July 27. This is expected to give 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. Shas left the door open for talks on the military status of ultra-Orthodox men so that 'it will be possible to maintain Shas's partnership in government and in the ruling coalition,' according to a statement following the decision. Moreover, according to Bloomberg, Netanyahu's government, the most right-wing in the country's history, is not required to call elections until the autumn of 2026. Furthermore, a bill to dissolve parliament would not be permitted until six months after a vote on a similar initiative failed last month — unless under a specific exemption for a 'change of circumstance.' While the ultra-Orthodox parties have focused their anger on the conscription issue, far-right parties have been pressing Netanyahu not to make concessions in ceasefire talks with Hamas militants that are underway in Qatar. The Shas ultra-Orthodox party said it was leaving over disagreements surrounding a proposed law meant to grant wide military draft exemptions to its constituents. 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. Last year 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. Shas also urged 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 October 7, 2023.
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Business Standard
6 days ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Orthodox Party quits Israeli cabinet but throws Netanyahu a lifeline
An ultra-Orthodox party quit Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet on Wednesday, but said it would remain within his coalition for now, giving the government more time to resolve a thorny dispute over military conscription. Another ultra-Orthodox group abandoned the coalition on Tuesday over the deeply divisive issue, leaving Netanyahu with just a one-seat majority in parliament. But rather than follow suit, the other ultra-Orthodox partner, Shas, said on Wednesday 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 United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party had announced its full walkout. The Shas decision means 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 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 Netanyahu or other partners within his increasingly splintered cabinet. While the ultra-Orthodox parties have focused their anger on the conscription issue, far-right parties have been pressing Netanyahu not to make concessions in ceasefire talks with Hamas militants that are underway in Qatar. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich want Israel to press on with the war, but 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 Wednesday urged 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 October 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 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. Last year 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.
Al Jazeera
6 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Second Israeli Ultra-Orthodox party quits government
A key partner in Benjamin Netanyahu's governing coalition says it is quitting, leaving the Israeli prime minister with a razor thin majority in parliament. The Ultra-Orthodox Shas party said on Wednesday that it was leaving the cabinet in protest against lawmakers' failure to guarantee future exemption from military conscription for religious students. 'Shas representatives … find with a heavy heart that they cannot stay in the government and be a part of it,' said the group in a statement. Shas, which has long served as a kingmaker in Israeli politics, said it wouldn't work to undermine the government once outside it and could vote with it on some laws. It also wouldn't support its collapse. The departure of Shas comes one day after another ultra-Orthodox party, United Torah Judaism (UTJ), resigned from the government over the same issue, which has sparked an explosive debate in the country after more than 21 months of war with Hamas in Gaza. However, unlike the UTJ, a Shas spokesman said the party was not leaving the parliamentary coalition, leaving Netanyahu with a slim majority. While 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. The joint move by Shas and UTJ comes just before Parliament starts a three-month summer recess on July 27, giving the Prime Minister several months of little to no legislative activity to bring the parties back into the fold. 'Cruel and criminal persecution' Ultra-Orthodox Jewish leaders say full-time devotion to holy scriptures study is sacrosanct and fear their young men will steer away from religious life if they are drafted into the military. Last year 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 the demands of both Shas and UTJ. Religious Services Minister Michael Malkieli, a member of Shas, said on Wednesday that rabbis were angered after Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee chairman Yuli Edelstein reneged on promises regarding the bill, according to a report in the Times of Israel. Malkieli, reading from a statement by the Council of Torah Sages, also hit out at action taken by the IDF and attorney general to pursue draft dodgers, describing the move as 'nothing less than cruel and criminal persecution against yeshiva students'. The rupture is not expected to usher in immediate elections or undermine efforts to secure a possible Gaza ceasefire. However, the Israeli leader may be more susceptible to the demands of his far-right coalition partners, who oppose ending the war while Hamas remains intact.
LeMonde
7 days ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
Israeli ultra-Orthodox party quits the ruling coalition
An Israeli ultra-Orthodox Jewish party has come under fire for its decision to quit the ruling coalition in a long-running struggle over military service exemptions as the army looks for manpower for Gaza. The departure of the United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party leaves Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government with the slenderest of majorities − 61 of the 120 seats in parliament. The conscription of ultra-Orthodox Jews is a highly contentious issue for Israeli society and Netanyahu's government. Under an arrangement dating back to the founding of the state of Israel in 1948, the ultra-Orthodox have been effectively exempted from military service as long as they dedicate themselves full-time to religious studies. Ultra-Orthodox parties have campaigned for decades for the exemptions to continue, but their demand has become increasingly unpopular among other sections of Israeli society after more than 21 months of war with Hamas in Gaza. Late on Monday, July 14, the UTJ party said it was leaving the coalition over the government's failure to secure the exemptions. Its defection takes 48 hours to come into effect. The announcement that three more Israeli soldiers had been killed in Gaza on Monday, taking the army's overall losses there to 458, fueled criticism of the UTJ's position. "Even as this news was already on the desks of the prime minister and coalition leaders, they continued with full force to promote the draft-dodging law, without thinking about the fighters in the field who need more partners to share the burden with them," opposition lawmaker Avigdor Lieberman posted on X. After the first of two UTJ factions announced it would quit the government, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett wrote: "These politicians are trying to prevent young Orthodox Jews from joining their heroic peers who are defending the people of Israel with their bodies." Netanyahu, visiting a military base on Tuesday where ultra-Orthodox troops are stationed, called to "mobilize all forces of the Jewish society in order to truly preserve our state and protect our people." Discussions aimed at amending the conscription law have intensified in Israel in recent months, putting the government under increasing pressure. Formed in December 2022, the governing coalition hinges on an alliance between Netanyahu's right-wing Likud, far-right parties and those representing the ultra-Orthodox. Ultra-Orthodox party Shas said it would meet on Wednesday for "a crucial discussion on the continuation of Shas's mandate in government" following "serious and unacceptable attacks on the status of Torah scholars" with regard to military service. If Shas too left the coalition, Netanyahu's government would be left without a majority.
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First Post
7 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
Israeli coalition shaken as ultra-Orthodox party exits over army draft dispute
The departure of the United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party leaves Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet with the smallest of majorities, 61 of 120 members in parliament read more An Israeli ultra-Orthodox Jewish party has faced criticism for leaving the government coalition in a long-running dispute over military service exemptions, as the army seeks personnel for troops ffor Gaza. The departure of the United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party leaves Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet with the smallest of majorities, 61 of 120 members in parliament. The conscription of ultra-Orthodox Jews is a hotly debated subject in Israeli society and Netanyahu's cabinet. As long as they commit themselves full-time to religious study, the ultra-Orthodox have been essentially excused from military duty under a deal that dates back to the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Ultra-Orthodox parties have campaigned for decades for the exemptions to continue, but their demand has become increasingly unpopular among other sections of Israeli society after more than 21 months of war with Hamas in Gaza. Late on Monday, the UTJ party said it was leaving the coalition over the government's failure to secure the exemptions. Its defection takes 48 hours to come into effect. The announcement that three more Israeli soldiers had been killed in Gaza on Monday, taking the army's overall losses there to 458, fuelled criticism of the UTJ's position. 'Even as this news was already on the desks of the prime minister and coalition leaders, they continued with full force to promote the draft-dodging law, without thinking about the fighters in the field who need more partners to share the burden with them,' opposition lawmaker Avigdor Lieberman posted on X. After the first of two UTJ factions announced it would quit the government, former prime minister Naftali Bennett wrote: 'These politicians are trying to prevent young Orthodox Jews from joining their heroic peers who are defending the people of Israel with their bodies.' Netanyahu, visiting a military base on Tuesday where ultra-Orthodox troops are stationed, called to 'mobilise all forces of the Jewish society in order to truly preserve our state and protect our people'. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Discussions aimed at amending the conscription law have intensified in Israel in recent months, putting the government under increasing pressure. Formed in December 2022, the governing coalition hinges on an alliance between Netanyahu's right-wing Likud, far-right parties and those representing the ultra-Orthodox. Ultra-Orthodox party Shas said it would meet Wednesday for 'a crucial discussion on the continuation of Shas's mandate in government' following 'serious and unacceptable attacks on the status of Torah scholars' with regard to military service. If Shas too left the coalition, Netanyahu's government would be left without a majority.
