Israel’s opposition parties are set to submit a bill for the dissolution of the Knesset for a preliminary vote today, according to Israel’s Channel 12.
اضافة اعلان
In a notable move, the ultra-Orthodox Shas party has also announced its intention to vote in favor of the proposed dissolution bill when it is brought before parliament today.
Leading opposition parties, including Yesh Atid headed by Yair Lapid, and Yisrael Beiteinu led by former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, had earlier declared plans to submit various bills this week aimed at dissolving the Knesset.
The opposition accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of seeking to push through legislation that would exempt ultra-Orthodox Jews (Haredim) from mandatory military service—an effort seen as catering to demands from his coalition partners, Shas and United Torah Judaism, to maintain the government’s stability and avoid its collapse.
The development comes amid rising tensions within the ultra-Orthodox political and religious leadership. On Wednesday, Haredi rabbis called for their parties to consider withdrawing from the government due to the stalemate surrounding legislation to formally exempt their followers from military conscription.
According to Israeli media outlets Yedioth Ahronoth and Haaretz, a leading rabbi reportedly instructed one Haredi party to support the Knesset dissolution vote over the issue.
The ultra-Orthodox community has been intensifying its protests against conscription following a June 25, 2024, Supreme Court ruling, which mandates the drafting of Haredim and bars state funding for religious institutions whose students refuse to serve.
Top Haredi rabbis, whose statements are regarded as religious decrees, have vocally urged followers to resist military conscription—some even calling for the tearing up of draft notices.
Haredim constitute approximately 13% of Israel’s 10 million population. Many refuse military service on religious grounds, claiming that devoting their lives to Torah study is a spiritual form of national service. They argue that assimilation into secular military life threatens their religious identity and community integrity.
For decades, most Haredi men have managed to avoid service by obtaining repeated deferrals on the basis of religious studies, until reaching the current exemption age of 26.
– (Agencies)
