As political tensions intensify over the delayed legislation on the draft law, reports emerged Sunday evening that Shas party leader Aryeh Deri has informed his inner circle that the party is preparing to leave the coalition “within a few days.”
According to a report on Kan 11, Deri conveyed to senior Shas officials that the party intends to exit the government alongside United Torah Judaism and attempt to pass the draft legislation from the opposition. Deri emphasized that, at least in the initial stage, the parties will not push for the dissolution of the Knesset.
This development comes amid a flurry of political meetings. Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu met Sunday evening with Yuli Edelstein, chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Edelstein is also expected to meet with senior representatives of the chareidi parties—MKs Uri Maklev and Ariel Attias—to update them on developments and seek a potential resolution, though it remains unclear whether a compromise is achievable at this point.
Meanwhile, during a closed High Court session, Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs reportedly urged the justices to permit Netanyahu to appoint a new head of the Shin Bet security service during the election period. The justices rejected the request, stating that the issue was not relevant to the petition at hand. Close associates of Netanyahu later told media outlets that the prime minister is preparing for the possibility of early elections as the coalition crisis deepens.
Sources within United Torah Judaism reiterated last night that “if there is no significant progress on the draft law, we are preparing to withdraw from the coalition—possibly as soon as this week.”
Chareidi lawmakers have expressed growing frustration over the government’s failure to present a final version of the draft law, despite repeated assurances from Netanyahu that a completed version would be delivered no later than the start of this week. According to that plan, the draft would first be submitted to former minister Ariel Attias, who would then pass it along to chareidi leadership for approval by the gedolei Yisroel. If approved, legislative discussions were to begin immediately in the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
However, Edelstein’s delay in bringing the draft law forward has now postponed the legislative process by at least another week. With the Knesset’s summer session nearing its end, this effectively means that no progress can be made until after the recess—delaying the law by several months.
Adding urgency to the situation, the IDF, via its legal adviser, announced this past Wednesday that within two weeks the Military Police will launch a wide-scale enforcement operation aimed at detaining individuals across the country in violation of military draft orders—orders which were sent to tens of thousands of bochurim.
Chareidi parties have repeatedly warned that if even a single yeshiva student is arrested, they will quit the coalition immediately.
Within chareidi political circles, anger is growing not only toward Edelstein but also toward Netanyahu. One coalition source commented, “Edelstein is acting out of revenge and deep animosity toward Bibi. People forget that on October 7th, he tried every possible way to bring down Bibi with a no-confidence vote and to install himself as prime minister. He got the opposition’s approval and tried to bring the chareidim on board. They refused—and now he’s settling the score.”
Senior chareidi officials also expressed disillusionment with Netanyahu himself, saying, “He’s simply not serious about the draft law. He stalls for time, breaks promises, and has left us without any legislation.”
{Matzav.com Israel}