Netanyahu's government faces collapse as ultra-Orthodox parties demand military draft law

Israel is experiencing significant political instability, primarily due to the actions of ultra-Orthodox lawmakers within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition government. Amid increasing tensions surrounding military conscription exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men, these lawmakers have been instructed by their spiritual leaders to consider leaving the coalition and to draft a bill aimed at dissolving the Knesset. This situation escalated following a Supreme Court ruling that nullified the prior draft deferment law for full-time yeshiva students, which had been a point of contention since the law's expiration last year. In a desperate bid for resolution, senior officials from the United Torah Judaism party met with Knesset members, but their ultimatums to pass new draft legislation have not yielded the desired outcomes. The Coalition, which currently consists of 68 seats in the 120-member Knesset, risks losing its majority if the ultra-Orthodox parties withdraw their support. Internal strife within the Likud party, particularly between Netanyahu and rival MK Yuli Edelstein, has further complicated matters, with some blaming Edelstein’s intransigence for exacerbating the crisis as the nation's military operations continue. Recent opinion polls indicate that if elections were called, Netanyahu’s coalition would likely be defeated. Public sentiment has turned increasingly against the draft exemptions, a perspective intensified by the ongoing military conflict in Gaza and the perceived unfairness of the current conscription policies. As the government grapples with the possibility of early elections, opposition parties are preparing to act on this growing discontent by presenting a bill to dissolve the Knesset. The internal disputes within Netanyahu’s coalition not only pose a threat to his current governance but also risk reshaping the political landscape of Israel, particularly with former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's planned political comeback. The future of the coalition hangs in a delicate balance, firmly tethered to the response of ultra-Orthodox lawmakers and the public's reaction to military service issues. Should these factions carry through with their threats, the Israeli political scene could undergo significant upheaval, leading to a potential shift in power dynamics and upcoming elections.