Netanyahu's Fate in the Balance as Another Party Exits Government

By Cindy Riechau
dpa

Netanyahou’s fate Israeli parties

Tel Aviv (dpa) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has lost another coalition partner amid an ongoing row over mandatory military service for ultraorthodox men, with the Shas party reportedly quitting the government on Wednesday.

The ultraorthodox party said it was giving up all its posts in government, Israeli media reported.

However, Shas is not joining the opposition, the party stressed.

It was initially unclear what this meant for Netanyahu’s majority in parliament. Opposition leader Yair Lapid claimed that Israel was being led by a minority government following Shas’ withdrawal, while some outlets also reported that Netanyahu’s government had lost its majority in parliament.

However, the ynet news website wrote that Shas would not completely break away from the government factions in parliament, meaning Netanyahu’s govering alliance would be able to cling on to a razor-thin majority of 61 seats in the 120-seat parliament.

Seven ministers and deputy ministers of the Shas party are reportedly set to resign, including Interior Minister Moshe Arbel and Health Minister Uriel Buso.

It comes after another ultraorthodox party, United Torah Judaism, exited the government a day earlier over the same issue.

The party’s lawmakers – including the deputy transport minister and the minister for Jerusalem affairs – were set to resign from government, although the Times of Israel newspaper reported that the resignations could require up to 48 hours to take effect, giving Netanyahu time to reconsider his proposals.

United Torah Judaism has seven seats in the Knesset, while Shas holds 11.

Long-standing bone of contention

The issue of conscripting highly religious Israeli men into the military has been a long-standing point of tension for Netanyahu’s right-wing religious coalition.

It has returned to the agenda due to the war in Gaza, with commanders warning of an urgent shortage of combat-ready soldiers.

While members of ultraorthodox communities have been exempt from compulsory military service for decades, the exemption expired last year, and the government did not pass a new law to cement the special status.

The Supreme Court issued a judgement last year that ultraorthodox Jewish men must be conscripted into military service.

Many ultraorthodox Jews see military service as a threat to their pious lifestyle, partly because women and men serve together.

What’s next for Netanyahu?

The Israeli premier is now likely to use the three-month parliamentary summer recess due to begin at the end of July to resolve the row with the ultraorthodox parties.

If a compromise acceptable to them is reached on a draft law on compulsory military service, they are likely to rejoin the governing coalition.

If no agreement can be found, the remaining coalition partners – Netanyahu’s centre-right Likud party, the far-right, ultranationalist Religious Zionism and Otzma Yehudit as well as right-wing party New Hope and far-right Noam – could also try to remain in power as a minority government.

According to Israeli media, the two ultraorthodox parties do not intend to topple the government.