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
Lebanese President: Question is whether some are considering making up for Gaza in Lebanon to secure need for continued political profiteering through fire and bloodshed.
Lebanese President: Danger of aggression is that it comes after ceasefire in Gaza, which poses challenges for us as Lebanese and on international community.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun: Yet again, South Lebanon is under fire of Israeli aggression against civilian facilities, without justification or even excuse
Lebanon: Israeli raids One martyred and multiple injured after Israeli bombing of Msayleh and Najaria
Trump: There is consensus regarding the next stages of Gaza
Donald Trump says he will visit 'Israel' and Egypt
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Lebanon: Israeli helicopters dropped explosive devices on a house in the town of Aita al-Shaab, south Lebanon.
Lecornu says he accepts being reappointed French PM 'out of duty'
Macron reappoints Sebastien Lecornu as France's PM
Palestinian youth killed by Israeli occupation forces in the center of Jenin, in the occupied West Bank: Al Mayadeen's correspondent

Netanyahu weighs early elections as Haredi IOF draft crisis deepens

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Israeli media
  • 9 May 2025 13:51
  • 1 Shares
4 Min Read

Facing coalition threats over the Haredi military enlistment law, Netanyahu may opt for early elections to regain support amid growing internal pressure.

  • x
  • Israeli police scuffle with ultra-Orthodox settlers during a protest against a potential new draft law in occupied al-Quds, October 31, 2024 (AP)
    Israeli police scuffle with ultra-Orthodox settlers during a protest against a potential new draft law in occupied al-Quds, on October 31, 2024 (AP)

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 bidding 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 with early elections

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.

Related News

Netanyahu rejects Palestinian state as recognition expands

Netanyahu says 'there will be no Palestinian state,' pushes E1 project

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.

High Court ruling leaves no legal room for compromise

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.

Without a clear resolution, the Haredi exemption law will likely remain one of the most divisive flashpoints in the Israeli government’s domestic politics, threatening to unravel the coalition and reshuffle the political landscape once again.

'Israel' to draft 50% of ultra-Orthodox men into military service

Last December, "Israel's" Supreme Court ordered the government to begin drafting ultra-Orthodox Jewish men into the military, overturning decades of exemptions for yeshiva students. At the time, the ruling reignited national debate over equal military service obligations.

Now, Security Minister Israel Katz has unveiled a draft law aiming to conscript 50% of ultra-Orthodox men by 2031. The legislation includes sanctions on draft dodgers and yeshivas whose students fail to report, and was presented to the parliament's Foreign Affairs and Security Committee on Monday.

The ultra-Orthodox community, making up around 13% of "Israel's" population, has long resisted conscription, arguing it threatens their religious life. While "secular" Israeli settlers support the measure as long overdue, ultra-Orthodox leaders have denounced it as an attack on religious freedom. With religious parties holding sway in the ruling coalition, the proposal is expected to face fierce opposition.

Read next: Boiling pot: 'Israel's' ideological discord

  • netanyahu
  • Haredi jews
  • IOF Draft
  • Israeli coalition crisis
  • Israeli elections
  • Israeli High Court

Most Read

Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder revealed

Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder exposed

  • Politics
  • 5 Oct 2025
The Palestinian resistance and the people of Gaza showed that after combating Israeli aggression for two years, they remain victorious in the face of oppression (Mahdi Rteil/Al Mayadeen English)

Al-Aqsa Flood two years on, a tale of victory

  • Politics
  • 6 Oct 2025
Guardian: Greta Thunberg held in 'Israel' under degrading conditions

'Israel' detaining Greta Thunberg in 'harsh' conditions: The Guardian

  • Asia Pacific
  • 4 Oct 2025
Taylor Swift: The Life of a Showgirl

The Life of a No-Girl: The one verse Taylor Swift refuses to sing

  • Arts and Culture
  • 8 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Displaced Palestinian children search for firewood and plastic in a landfill beside the makeshift tent camp where they are taking shelter, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, September 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Politics

Gaza orphans: Wounded, alone, and trapped in a humanitarian crisis

US President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn after arriving on Marine One at the White House, Friday, October 10, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Politics

Accidental Truth Social post exposes Trump push to indict adversaries

A displaced Palestinian woman carries her baby as she walks with others along the coastal road near Wadi Gaza in the central Gaza Strip, heading toward Gaza City, Friday, Oct. 10, 2025 (AP)
Politics

UNICEF warns of skyrocketing child deaths in Gaza amid lack of aid

Former President Jimmy Carter's 2002 Nobel Peace Prize is sen on display at the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park, Monday, December 30, 2024, in Plains, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Politics

Trump team blasts Nobel Committee for passing president over

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