Latest news with #United Torah Judaism
France 24
6 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
Ultra-Orthodox party quits Israeli government over army exemptions
Israeli government members from the ultra-Orthodox Jewish party Shas announced on Wednesday their resignation, protesting the ruling coalition's failure to pass a law to exempt their community from military service. However, the party stopped short of withdrawing its support for the coalition in parliament, and said it would not back a no-confidence vote to bring down Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government. The move came just two days after the Israeli legislature's other ultra-Orthodoxparty, United Torah Judaism, quit both the government and the coalition over the failure to secure the long-promised exemptions. The conscription of ultra-Orthodox Jews is a highly contentious issue for Israeli society, large parts of which are required to serve in the army. Debates over reforming the conscription law have intensified in recent months, straining the governing coalition formed in December 2022 as an alliance between Netanyahu's right-wing Likud, far-right parties and the ultra-Orthodox. The departure of United Torah Judaism earlier this week has effectively stripped the coalition of a parliamentary majority, potentially paralysing legislation. Were Shas to follow suit and exit the coalition, Netanyahu would remain with a fragile minority government backed by only 49 out of 120 lawmakers. Opposition leader Yair Lapid urged Netanyahu to call snap elections, even with Israel embroiled in a war against Palestinian militants Hamas in the Gaza Strip. "A minority government cannot send soldiers to the battlefield... It is not a legitimate government," Lapid said in a video statement on Wednesday. "The time has come for elections -- now." Under an arrangement dating back to Israel's founding in 1948, the ultra-Orthodox have been effectively exempted from military service as long as they dedicate themselves to religious studies. The ultra-Orthodox parties have long fought to maintain this arrangement, arguing that full-time religious study is a service to nation. But public support for the exemptions has waned, particularly as the army faces manpower shortages after more than 21 months of war in Gaza. One of Shas's outgoing ministers, Michael Malchieli, said on Wednesday that efforts to draft ultra-Orthodox men amounted to "persecution".
Al Jazeera
7 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.
Al Jazeera
7 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Second Israeli Ultra-Orthodox party to quit government in blow to Netanyahu
A key partner in Benjamin Netanyahu's government says it is quitting, dealing a major blow to the Israeli prime minister that could leave him heading a minority coalition 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. It was not immediately clear whether the decision would leave Netanyahu with a minority in parliament. Without Shas, Netanyahu's coalition would have 50 seats in the 120-seat Knesset. 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 said it wouldn't support its collapse. The departure of Shas from the government 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. 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 other groups who serve. The moves 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'.
France 24
16-07-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Israeli ultra-orthodox party quits Netanyahu's 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, 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." IDF reports sharp rise in soldier suicides 02:38 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". 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.
Al Mayadeen
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Mayadeen
Haredi parties boycott Knesset over delayed military exemption bill
The ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism (UTJ) parties announced a boycott of Monday's Knesset plenum session in protest of the absence of legislation granting military service exemptions for yeshiva students, according to Israeli media. This full boycott marks an escalation from their previous partial legislative protest, during which they refused to vote on private members' bills advanced by coalition partners. Senior UTJ officials told Israel Hayom that Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Yuli Edelstein 'is not providing a draft [of the bill],' which they interpret as a retreat from previous agreements. 'The ultra-Orthodox parties will not be able to sit and vote with a coalition that supports such a law,' they said. Edelstein reportedly showed a Haredi representative a softened version of the conscription bill, but only in the form of a general outline, not a full draft, according to "Israel's" Channel 12. A senior UTJ source told The Times of Israel that Edelstein's presentation was "nonsense", adding that they were still waiting for a serious legislative proposal. A member of Edelstein's committee told The Times of Israel that a draft of the revised bill was expected to be presented on Monday, though no official confirmation had been issued. The ongoing boycott may delay the appointment of UTJ MK Yisrael Eichler as housing minister, reflecting the potential political cost of the internal coalition rift. Read more: Haredi parties push for Knesset dissolution, call PM 'a burden' In a related context, Shas chairman Aryeh Deri criticized opposition Leader Yair Lapid for comments accusing the Haredi leadership of hypocrisy. Lapid had claimed that Haredi politicians were willing to send others' children to fight while ensuring their own were exempt from service. During his Yesh Atid faction's weekly meeting, Lapid condemned the exemption push, naming Deri and committee member Yaakov Asher (UTJ), saying they 'have no problem sending [reserve] soldiers to go fight and die on one condition: that their own children not die.' Deri responded with a sharp rebuttal, claiming that 'the percentage of soldiers who serve and risk their lives among Shas voters is higher than among your party's voters.' He accused Lapid of inciting against an entire community, calling his remarks 'serious and false incitement.' He called on Lapid to retract what he described as an 'inflammatory slur'. This standoff highlights the broader political friction over the contentious issue of yeshiva student conscription, which continues to threaten coalition unity. Read more: Eisenkot to resign from Knesset, leave Gantz' party over differences
