Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Yemeni Armed Forces: Our operations are ongoing and will not stop until the aggression on Gaza stops and the siege is lifted
Yemeni Armed Forces: The operation successfully achieved its goal, causing millions of Zionists to flee to shelters and halting maritime traffic
Yemeni Armed Forces: We carried out a top-tier military operation targeting Lydd Airport in the occupied Yafa region with a Palestine 2 hypersonic ballistic missile
The Public Prosecutor in the appeal letter: The deficiency does not suspend the implementation of the decision, as the Public Prosecutor's Office stated, and will not prevent Georges Abdallah from returning to Lebanon
The Public Prosecutor in the appeal letter: The decision to release Georges Abdallah does not conform to judicial precedents regarding the conditional release of a life sentence
The Paris Public Prosecutor's Office has decided to appeal the Court of Cassation's decision to release Lebanese activist George Ibrahim Abdallah.
Al Mayadeen correspondent to southern Lebanon: A martyr was killed as a result of an Israeli airstrike targeting a car in the town of Al-Tayri.
Erdogan: US understands it needs to own this issue more.
Erdogan: Syrian President al-Sharaa has shown a strong stance in conflict with Israel, made no compromises.
Erdogan: All but one druze faction agreed to respect ceasefire during talks in Amman.

Israeli ultra-orthodox party to vote for Knesset dissolution

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Israeli media
  • 9 Jun 2025 14:19
  • 3 Shares
5 Min Read

The Israeli Shas party will support dissolving the Knesset on Wednesday, citing disappointment with Prime Minister Netanyahu.

Listen
  • x
  • Israelis attend a rally supporting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, outside the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in occupied al-Quds, Thursday, June 5, 2025 (AP)
    Israelis attend a rally supporting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outside the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in occupied al-Quds, Thursday, June 5, 2025. (AP)

The Israeli ultra-Orthodox Shas party announced Monday it will vote in favor of dissolving the Knesset during the upcoming session on Wednesday, marking a major blow to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s fragile coalition. The declaration comes amid growing tensions within the ruling alliance, according to a report by the Times of Israel.

"In the current situation, we will vote on Wednesday to dissolve the Knesset," said Shas spokesperson Asher Medina in an interview with Kol Berama Radio.

Medina voiced the party’s dissatisfaction with Netanyahu’s recent performance, stating, "We are disappointed in Netanyahu. We expected action from him earlier, not just in the past few days."

As a longtime ally of Netanyahu’s Likud party, Shas holds 11 seats in the Knesset. A withdrawal of their support could reduce the governing coalition to just 57 seats, stripping it of its majority and potentially triggering new elections.

Ultra-Orthodox threaten withdrawal

The Netanyahu-led coalition entered crisis mode last week when Shas and fellow ultra-Orthodox party United Torah Judaism issued ultimatums, threatening to withdraw from the government unless legislation exempting yeshiva students from military service was passed.

While Netanyahu’s office claimed “significant progress” in negotiations over the draft exemption bill, the ultra-Orthodox parties have maintained their threats, casting doubt on the stability of the government.

According to Israel Hayom, the ultra-Orthodox factions are increasingly inclined to dissolve the Knesset, viewing Netanyahu as a liability. The paper quoted a senior Degel HaTorah official who said all ultra-Orthodox parties had coordinated their voting stance.

Related News

UN reports facilities hit, Gaza guesthouse raided by 'Israel'

Hamas intensifies efforts to end Gaza war, humanitarian crisis

Chairman of the National Unity party, Benny Gantz, has also ordered the withdrawal of all party-sponsored legislation from Wednesday’s Knesset agenda, with the exception of a single bill: one that would dissolve the parliament.

The move, announced by the opposition party on Monday, is a direct response to what it described as “the coalition’s decision to introduce dozens of laws to overload the agenda and try to avoid a vote on dissolving the Knesset.”

Gantz’s decision to streamline National Unity’s legislative efforts underscores the growing pressure on Netanyahu’s fragile coalition, which now faces simultaneous challenges from both opposition lawmakers and disillusioned partners within the ruling bloc.

Netanyahu weighs early elections

Speculation is mounting within the Israeli occupation government that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may soon opt to dismantle his coalition and call for early elections. This follows growing internal unrest over the unresolved issue of Haredi military enlistment, with senior ministers indicating that the premier could choose to act preemptively if the ultra-Orthodox parties appear ready to topple the government.

Last November, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid called on the Israeli government to deny public funding, passports, and travel privileges to ultra-Orthodox Jews (Haredim) who refuse to serve in the military. The Haredi community, which accounts for approximately 13% of "Israel's" population, traditionally avoids conscription, dedicating their lives to Torah study.

According to a senior minister who spoke to Zman Yisrael, The Times of Israel’s Hebrew-language sister outlet, “Netanyahu knows there is no solution to the Haredi enlistment matter. He is biding for time and will eventually say that ‘on this important matter, I didn’t cave.’ This way, he’ll at least win the election with the support of reservists and civilians who can’t live with the inequality in military conscription.”

The issue has long polarized the political landscape, while leaders within the ultra-Orthodox community continue to reject mandatory service in the Israeli occupation forces, calling it an effort to secularize their youth. Yeshiva students are instructed to resist enlistment, while successive governments have failed to pass a sustainable law regulating the matter.

Netanyahu may preempt collapse

For years, the Israeli High Court of "Justice" has invalidated any legislation that offers broad exemptions to the ultra-Orthodox community, asserting that such policies violate the constitutional principle of "equality". In a landmark ruling last year, the court found the decades-long exemption framework unlawful, prompting Haredi parties to demand new legislation to legally enshrine their draft avoidance.

While Netanyahu has managed to delay critical decisions on the issue throughout the ongoing war on Gaza, this round of internal dissent appears more serious. Political rivals are escalating pressure, and coalition members are issuing renewed threats of withdrawal, leaving the prime minister with few viable paths to maintain stability without alienating key blocs.

As the legal clock ticks, there is little indication that a compromise on the ultra-Orthodox IOF draft is in sight. The Israeli coalition crisis has entered a phase where political survival may depend on bold moves.

For Netanyahu, calling early elections could reframe the narrative, allowing him to shift blame onto the judiciary and deflect mounting criticism while appealing to a broader segment of voters disillusioned with draft inequalities.

  • Israel
  • Ultra-Orthodox factions
  • Benny Gantz
  • Israeli occupation
  • Shas
  • Benjamin Netanyahu
  • Knesset

Most Read

Catherine Perez-Shakdam is a bloodthirsty genocidal Zionist and continues to work as an intelligence asset of the Zionist regime. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Ali al-Hadi Shmeiss)

Who was behind the ban on Palestine Action?

  • Opinion
  • 19 Jul 2025
Credible reports, including some from Israeli media itself, indicate that Tel Aviv had pinned its hopes on what can only be described as a delusional plan. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)

Jebraily: Iran strikes rewrote regional deterrence rules - Exclusive

  • MENA
  • 15 Jul 2025
An al-Quds Brigades fighter activating an explosive device before an operation, Gaza, July 17, 2025 (Military Media)

Al-Quds fighters engage undercover Israeli troops in Gaza

  • Politics
  • 17 Jul 2025
Donald Trump, the Corporate Aristocracy and the Israelization of the World

Donald Trump, the Corporate Aristocracy and the Israelization of the World

  • Opinion
  • 15 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Smoke and flames erupt from an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, Monday, July 21, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Hamas intensifies efforts to end Gaza war, humanitarian crisis

Palestinians mourn their relatives who were killed while trying to reach aid trucks entering northern Gaza through the Zikim crossing, at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on Sunday, July 20, 2025. (AP)
Politics

'Today is not a day to remain silent regarding Gaza': Sayyed Khamenei

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, center, and his delegation attends a meeting with China's Vice Prime Minister Ding Xuexiang, in Beijing, China, Wednesday, April 23, 2025 (Iranian Foreign Ministry)
Politics

Iran rules out US nuclear talks for now, but keeps diplomacy open

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attend a signing ceremony at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (Evgenia Novozhenina/Pool Photo via AP)
Politics

Russia, Iran discuss strengthening defense cooperation in Moscow

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS