Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition government is in turmoil as the opposition introduced a bill to dissolve the parliament, sparking anger among his ultra-Orthodox ('Haredi') partners. These parties have threatened to support the dissolution if a law exempting religious students from military service is not passed.
In recent days, several rounds of negotiations have been conducted among coalition leaders to find a resolution. The issue has been contentious in Israeli politics for decades but has become even more sensitive 21 months into the conflict with Hamas.
Government Won't Fall Immediately if Bill Passes
Government sources remain hopeful for a compromise. Israeli media reported efforts to delay the parliamentary dissolution proposal by a week. Even if passed, the government wouldn’t immediately fall, as the bill requires four stages of voting to become law.
Still, Netanyahu's ultra-Orthodox coalition members are very upset. In 2017, Israel's Supreme Court deemed religious student exemptions from military service unconstitutional. No new law has been passed since then.
Allies Also Oppose
Last week, the 'United Torah Judaism' party announced its intent to vote for dissolution if no solution is found. On Monday, the major 'Shas' party also warned that it would support the proposal if unresolved by Wednesday.
'Shas' spokesman Asher Medina told Israeli public radio, 'We take no joy in toppling a right-wing government, but we are at a breaking point. Without a last-minute solution, Shas will vote to dissolve Parliament.'
Political Crisis May Prolong for Months
Officials note that the dissolution process could extend for weeks or months. To buy time, the coalition added numerous other bills to the parliamentary agenda on Wednesday. Netanyahu's 'Likud' party also controls the committee determining the procedure's pace.
