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The Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported on Monday evening that the ultra-Orthodox Jews, known as the Haredim, have threatened Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with supporting the dissolution of the Knesset (parliament) and calling early elections unless discussions on a bill exempting them from military service are sped up.

Earlier, the two parties representing the haredim, Shas (11 seats) and Yahadut HaTorah (7 seats), warned they could bring down the government if the conscription law is not passed, potentially leading to early elections. The current Knesset’s term is set to end in October 2026.

The government coalition, including the Haredim, holds 68 of the 120 Knesset seats, with a minimum of 61 needed to stay in power.

The Haredim have continued protesting against military conscription following the Supreme Court’s decision on 25 June 2024, which required them to serve and barred financial support to religious institutions whose students refuse military service.

The Haredim make up around 13 per cent of Israel’s 10 million population. They reject military service, arguing that their lives are dedicated to studying the Torah, and say joining secular society would threaten their religious identity and the continuity of their community.

On Monday evening, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported that Haredi Knesset members (18 out of 120) threatened to support dissolving the Knesset if the conscription bill discussion is not accelerated.

They also stated in a message to Netanyahu’s office that “if the pace is not sped up, they will not only withhold support for the budget, but will also push for elections.”

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This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.