A Hurricane for Netanyahu's Government: The Conscription Crisis
Potential collapse of Netanyahu's administration due to disagreements on military conscription policies - Potential collapse of Netanyahu's administration due to military draft disputes
Get ready for some drama, folks! The Israeli government's coalition is on the edge, and it's all over the controversial conscription debate for religious Jews. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-religious ruling coalition is on the brink of collapse as leading rabbis from the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaia party have said their farewells.
So, can we still find a last-minute compromise? It's anyone's guess. Opposition parties are plotting to dissolve the Israeli parliament next week.
Netanyahu's crew currently has a majority of 68 out of 120 seats in the parliament. But hey, if the second ultra-Orthodox party, Shas, with 11 seats, jumps ship, that majority is gone. And with opinion polls suggesting Netanyahu's enemies could snag a majority in the event of new elections scheduled for October 2025, things are heating up.
Why the tiff over conscription? Ultra-Orthodox Jews have been exempt from military service in Israel for ages. But as of last year, that favor expired. The Israeli government failed to pass a new law to seal this special status for the ultra-Orthodox. When the Supreme Court intervened in the summer of 2024, they ruled that Ultra-Orthodox men must serve in the military.
Many ultra-Orthodox Jews view military service as a threat to their lifestyle, with concerns over serving alongside women and men, among other things. But let's not forget that the army has warned of a serious shortage of combat soldiers due to the long-running war against Hamas in Gaza. And we all know that Israelis aren't too pleased about the unfair treatment of ultra-Orthodox Jews, who avoid dangerous combat missions.
Now, let's dig deeper:
- The army plans to issue over 50,000 conscription orders to Ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students in July.
- Ultra-Orthodox communities have been staging protests and blocking major roads in Israel.
- The High Court of Justice ruled last year that draft exemptions for yeshiva students had no legal basis.
In case the government collapses, expect chaos, folks! Stay tuned for updates.
- The ongoing conscription crisis in Israel, sparked by the expiry of draft exemptions for ultra-Orthodox Jews, has led to a heated political debate about employment policy, particularly within the context of the controversial war-and-conflicts situation.
- The policy-and-legislation battle over conscription has resulted in a potentially devastating impact on the community policy of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, as leading rabbis from the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaia party have announced their departure from the coalition, leaving his ruling coalition on the brink of collapse.
- As the Israeli parliament faces the possibility of dissolution and new elections in October 2025, according to opposition parties, the politics surrounding this issue, including the general-news coverage and crime-and-justice implications, have brought tensions to a boiling point, with the ultra-Orthodox Shas party holding the key to Netanyahu's majority in parliament.
