Israel’s ultra-Orthodox party, United Torah Judaism (UTJ), has announced its departure from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition due to a long-running dispute over mandatory military service. This move threatens to further destabilize Netanyahu’s hold on power. Six of the remaining seven members of UTJ, which comprises the Degel HaTorah and Agudat Yisrael factions, wrote letters of resignation, Israeli media reported late on Monday.
According to Degel HaTorah, the decision was made “in accordance with the directive” of the group’s spiritual leader, Rabbi Dov Lando. In a statement, Degel HaTorah said that after conferring with its head rabbis, “and following repeated violations by the government of its commitments to ensure the status of holy yeshiva students who diligently engage in their studies … [its MKs] have announced their resignation from the coalition and the government”.
The resignation of United Torah Judaism lawmakers leaves Netanyahu with a razor-thin majority of 61 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, or parliament. UTJ chairman Yitzhak Goldknopf had resigned a month ago, and a spokesperson for Goldknopf confirmed that, in all, seven UTJ Knesset members are leaving the government.
Ultra-Orthodox lawmakers have long threatened to leave the coalition over the conscription bill, arguing that a bill to exempt “yeshiva” or seminary students from conscription was a key promise in their agreement to join Netanyahu’s coalition in late 2022. The ultra-Orthodox have long been exempt from military service, which applies to most other young Israelis. However, last year, the Supreme Court ordered the Ministry of Defense to end that practice and start conscripting seminary students.
Netanyahu had been pushing hard to resolve the deadlock over the new military conscription bill, which has led to the present crisis. He is under pressure from his own Likud party to draft more ultra-Orthodox men and impose penalties on dodgers, a red line for the Shas party, which demands a law guaranteeing its members’ permanent exemption from military service. Netanyahu’s coalition, formed in December 2022, is one of the most far-right governments in the country’s history.
The departure of UTJ from the coalition may have significant implications for Israeli politics and its ongoing efforts to balance religious exemptions with national conscription policies. The impact on Netanyahu’s ruling coalition and its stability remains uncertain, as another ultra-Orthodox party, Shas, has not yet announced if it will follow UTJ’s lead.
The crisis reflects deeper fissures within Israeli society, particularly between the secular majority and the insular ultra-Orthodox communities, who view conscription as an existential threat to their religious studies and way of life. Netanyahu’s government is caught between honoring coalition promises and addressing the pragmatics of national defense. The stakes extend beyond parliamentary arithmetic; they encompass the social fabric of Israel at a time when unity could prove vital.