Ultra-Orthodox party quits Netanyahu coalition over draft law dispute
The ultra-Orthodox 'Israeli' party Degel HaTorah announced Monday its immediate withdrawal from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition, protesting the government’s failure to pass a law exempting Haredi Jews from military service.
The move came after a rare handwritten letter from the party’s spiritual leader, Rabbi Dov Landau, calling on representatives to resign from all government roles and leave the coalition.
In the letter, Rabbi Landau accused Netanyahu’s Likud party of breaking its promise to pass a draft exemption bill and warned that authorities were trying to “humiliate and crush Torah students.”
Degel HaTorah holds four Knesset seats and is part of the United Torah Judaism alliance with Agudat Yisrael (three seats), both of which back Netanyahu. The government still holds a majority with 68 seats, but it could fall if the 11-seat Shas party, also Haredi, follows through on its reported threat to leave.
The crisis comes amid mounting pressure from ultra-Orthodox factions following a June 25 'Israeli' Supreme Court ruling that mandates drafting Haredim and cuts funding to religious institutions that don’t comply.
Top rabbis, whose guidance is considered binding within Haredi communities, have called on students to reject enlistment and even destroy draft orders. Haredim—about 13 percent of 'Israel’s' population—have historically avoided military service, citing religious study as their national duty.
In response to the backlash, Netanyahu reportedly met with Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chair Yuli Edelstein to finalize a draft exemption bill. Some media reports say a version acceptable to Haredi leadership may be presented soon, potentially reversing Degel HaTorah’s withdrawal.
This political standoff unfolds as 'Israel' continues its devastating war on Gaza, which has killed or injured over 197,000 Palestinians, displaced hundreds of thousands, and pushed much of the population to the brink of famine.
