حزب مؤثر ينسحب من ائتلاف نتنياهو.. ما القصة؟

The United Torah Judaism party, one of the religious parties in the ruling coalition led by Benjamin Netanyahu, announced its withdrawal from the government today (Tuesday) due to the government's failure to pass a bill exempting students of religious schools (yeshivas) from mandatory military service, according to Reuters.

Six out of the seven deputies from the party, which includes the factions Degel HaTorah and Agudat Yisrael, submitted their resignations after the party leader, Yitzhak Goldknopf, resigned a month ago. A spokesperson for Goldknopf confirmed that all seven party members in the Knesset would leave the coalition.

The Degel HaTorah faction issued a statement saying: After consultations with senior rabbis, and due to the government's repeated violations of its commitments to ensure the status of yeshiva students who dedicate their lives to religious study, our deputies have decided to resign from the coalition and the government.

This withdrawal leaves Netanyahu with a very fragile majority in the Knesset, as he now holds only 61 seats out of 120, putting his government in a difficult position. It remains unclear whether the Shas party, the other religious party in the coalition, will follow in the footsteps of United Torah Judaism or remain in the government.

This crisis comes amid rising tensions over the issue of drafting yeshiva students, which was one of the key promises made by the religious parties when they joined the coalition in late 2022.

Pressure has increased following last year's Supreme Court decision to cancel military exemptions for the religious, at a time when Israel faces ongoing military challenges in Gaza.

The issue of exempting yeshiva students from military service is a major point of contention in Israel, as some see it as an unfair privilege, while religious parties defend it as part of preserving religious identity.

Netanyahu has attempted to reach a compromise through a new recruitment bill, but he has failed to satisfy all coalition parties, leading to this political crisis.

The United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party is an Israeli political alliance that includes two main factions: Degel HaTorah and Agudat Yisrael, representing the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) Jewish community.

The party is also considered an influential political force in Israel, advocating for the interests of the religious community, particularly on issues such as exempting students of religious schools (yeshivas) from mandatory military service.

This issue is one of the most sensitive topics in Israeli politics, as it stirs divisions between religious and secular parties.