Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has suffered a serious setback when the ultra-Orthodox Shas Party announced it is quitting the cabinet over a disagreement over mandatory military service. Netanyahu might now be in charge of a minority coalition in parliament as a result of this action.
After parliamentarians failed to provide future military exemptions for religious students, Shas announced on Wednesday that it would leave the cabinet in protest. “Shas representatives… with heavy hearts, feel they can no longer remain part of the government,” the party declared in an official statement.
Whether this choice will put Netanyahu in the minority in the Knesset is still up in the air. His coalition would only control 50 of the 120 legislative seats in the absence of Shas.
Despite the fact that Shas has historically been a kingmaker in Israeli politics, the party made it clear that its departure is not meant to topple the government. It will not back attempts to overthrow the government and may still vote with the ruling coalition on some legislation.
Shas’s departure occurs just one day after United Torah Judaism (UTJ), another ultra-Orthodox party, resigned from the cabinet over the identical matter. Given that the war with Hamas in Gaza has been dragging on for more than 21 months, the matter has prompted intense national debate.
Ultra-Orthodox youths attending yeshivas (religious schools) have been spared from required military duty for decades. Many Israelis, however, have become irate because they believe that other facets of society are bearing an unjust weight.
The actions taken by Shas and UTJ coincide with the Israeli parliament’s three-month sabbatical, which begins on 27 July. This will allow Netanyahu to take a break from legislative work and perhaps woo these parties back to his cause.
“Cruel and Persecution of Criminals”
Ultra-Orthodox leaders contend that studying sacred books full-time is a spiritual calling and express concern that enlisting young men in the army might discourage them from leading a pious religious life.
The Israeli Supreme Court decided to eliminate this exemption last year. Since then, lawmakers have tried—but so far failed—to create a new conscription law that meets the demands of both Shas and UTJ.
Michael Malkieli, the minister of religious services and a member of Shas, told The Times of Israel that rabbis were angry with Yuli Edelstein, the leader of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee, for breaking earlier pledges about the bill.
Malkieli also denounced the Israeli military and attorney general’s activities against draft evaders, referring to them as “cruel and criminal persecution of yeshiva students” in a statement she read from the Council of Torah Sages.
