By: Fern Sidman

In a move that significantly alters the balance of Israel’s governing coalition, the ultra-Orthodox Shas Party announced on Wednesday that it will leave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government due to the coalition’s failure to enact legislation exempting Haredi men from mandatory military conscription. As reported by The Jewish News Syndicate (JNS), this decision by Shas follows closely on the heels of a similar withdrawal by United Torah Judaism (UTJ), which exited the coalition on Monday night over the same unresolved issue.

According to the information provided in the JNS report, the immediate consequence of the dual departures is that Netanyahu’s coalition—formerly enjoying a commanding 67-seat majority in Israel’s 120-member Knesset—is now reduced to a minority with only 50 seats. Despite this significant shift, however, the government’s stability is not immediately at risk. Shas has clarified that it will not support any no-confidence motions aimed at toppling the government until after the conclusion of the Knesset’s summer session on July 27.

Shas intends to maintain a degree of parliamentary influence despite its formal withdrawal from the coalition. Party members will continue to serve on Knesset committees, and Shas chairman Aryeh Deri will remain a participant in the government’s reduced “kitchen cabinet,” a core advisory group. Furthermore, the party has pledged to back any agreements pertaining to the release of hostages currently held by Hamas—a commitment that underscores its ongoing involvement in critical national matters, despite its opposition stance.

Crucially, as JNS emphasized in its coverage, Shas has refrained from placing direct blame on Prime Minister Netanyahu for the legislative deadlock. Instead, party spokesman Asher Medina pointed to Yuli Edelstein, chairman of the Knesset’s influential Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, accusing him of obstructing efforts to forge a compromise on the contentious military draft bill. “I know that Netanyahu did everything he could,” Medina stated in comments reported by JNS and delivered during an interview with Kan Reshet Bet radio.

The Haredi community’s exemption from military service has long been a point of contention within Israeli society. The Supreme Court of Israel ruled last year that the state must begin conscripting Haredi men, following the expiration of the previous exemption framework in 2023. This landmark ruling effectively ended decades of blanket exemptions and triggered widespread debate about equality in national service obligations.

In line with the Court’s ruling, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) began initiating criminal proceedings this year against Haredi draft candidates who failed to report for enlistment. The enforcement of this policy has intensified societal tensions, with many in the broader Israeli public expressing frustration over the perceived inequity of the longstanding draft exemptions.

The political ramifications of the Shas and UTJ withdrawals were further highlighted by opposition leader Yair Lapid of the Yesh Atid Party. As reported by JNS, Lapid seized on the coalition’s new minority status to renew his calls for national elections. “A minority government cannot send soldiers into battle, decide who will live and who will die, decide the fate of Gaza and close an agreement with Syria and Saudi Arabia,” Lapid asserted.

Lapid also sharply criticized what he described as the government’s fiscal mismanagement and its alleged preferential treatment of ultra-Orthodox communities. “It cannot continue to transfer billions to the corrupt and draft dodgers at the expense of the taxpayers, and certainly a minority government cannot free the ultra-Orthodox from conscription,” he said.

As the JNS report noted, the withdrawal of Shas and UTJ has plunged Netanyahu’s administration into a period of political uncertainty. While the immediate threat of a government collapse has been averted by Shas’s agreement to delay support for a no-confidence motion, the coalition’s ability to legislate effectively—and to command a parliamentary majority on key issues—remains in serious doubt.

The crisis over Haredi conscription represents a broader societal and political challenge that has tested successive Israeli governments. The issue resonates deeply within both the ultra-Orthodox community, which views military service exemptions as a protection of its religious lifestyle, and among secular Israelis, who see the exemptions as an unfair burden on the rest of society.

With the Knesset’s summer session set to conclude in less than two weeks, attention now turns to whether Netanyahu’s coalition can negotiate a resolution that satisfies both its ultra-Orthodox partners and broader national expectations. As the JNS report indicated, the fate of the government—and the future of Haredi military service in Israel—hangs in the balance.