In June, Israel’s Supreme Court mandated that the government must draft all citizens, including religious Jews.
The leader of Israel’s Shas Party has threatened to dissolve Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government if he does not intervene to address the issue of military exemptions for Haredi or ultra-Orthodox Jews within the next two months.
“I believe that the prime minister and coalition leaders are determined to address the situation of Torah students,” said Aryeh Deri, speaking to Kol BaRama radio station, the Anadolu news agency reported, citing Israeli media.
‘War on the World of Torah’ – Religious Parties to Submit bill to dissolve Knesset
“We have a short window of time to solve this issue, within the next two months. If not, and this is the test, then we will go to elections,” Deri reportedly added.
Seats in Knesset
Shas currently holds six ministerial positions in Israel’s government and has 11 seats in the Israeli parliament (Knesset), while the United Torah Judaism party holds two ministerial positions and seven Knesset seats.
The governing coalition holds 68 seats in the Knesset, with 61 seats necessary for the government to remain in power under Israel’s political system.
Israel’s Shas Party leader threatened to dissolve Netanyahu’s government if he fails to address Haredi military exemptions within two months https://t.co/ueGeRdWbih pic.twitter.com/Jz1VnLLfmt
— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) January 29, 2025
According to the Times of Israel, Avigdor Liberman, chairman of the opposition Yisrael Beytenu party, tweeted in response to Deri’s ultimatum: “There’s no point in waiting two months — we need to go to the polls now.”
The paper said that the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee was currently debating a bill dealing with the issue of ultra-Orthodox enlistment. It added that chairman Yuli Edelstein (Likud) has however warned that he “would only produce a real conscription law that will significantly increase the IDF’s conscription base.”
Pressure on Netanyahu
“The ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism (UTJ) parties have been heavily pressuring Netanyahu to advance the legislation,” the report added, and that UTJ’s Agudat Yisrael faction “has also previously threatened to vote against the budget over the draft issue.”
Israeli police clash with ultra-Orthodox Jews protesting military conscription ⤵️
Ultra-Orthodox Jews protesting military conscription in Tel Aviv were confronted with Israeli police’s physical force as they opposed the enrollment order for individuals who failed to register… pic.twitter.com/Kj2e47QDlX
— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) January 28, 2025
While non-religious political parties support mandatory service for the Haredi, religious parties in the coalition oppose it, arguing that the role of religious Jews is to study the Torah, the Jewish holy book, reported Anadolu.
On Tuesday, Israeli police clashed with ultra-Orthodox Jews in Tel Aviv who were protesting military conscription.
In June, Israel’s Supreme Court mandated that the government must draft everyone, including religious Jews. However, Anadolu noted, the government is attempting to pass a law allowing exemptions for religious groups, drawing backlash from opposition parties, which have labeled it the “draft evasion law.”
Netanyahu is working to rally support in the Knesset for the bill ahead of its vote.
Staggering Death Toll
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 47,417 Palestinians have been killed, and 111,571 wounded in Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza which began on October 7, 2023.
The toll is expected to rise further, with at least 11,000 people still unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes across Gaza.
Journalist @Hind_Gaza was one of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced from the north of the Gaza strip, and here she documents part of her journey home. pic.twitter.com/N19z2B2kgH
— Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) January 28, 2025
The war, which Palestinians call “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood,” began after a military operation carried out by Hamas on Israeli territory. Israel reports that 1,139 of its soldiers and civilians were killed during the initial attack on October 7. However, Israeli media have raised concerns that a significant number of Israeli casualties were caused by ‘friendly fire’ during the assault.
Millions Displaced
Human rights organizations, both Palestinian and international, have reported that the overwhelming majority of the casualties in Gaza are women and children. The ongoing violence has also exacerbated an acute famine, with thousands of children among the dead, highlighting the severity of the humanitarian disaster.
The war has displaced nearly two million people from their homes across Gaza, with the majority of the displaced forced into the already overcrowded southern region of the Strip.
Since Monday, around one million displaced Palestinians have been making the journey back home to the north of the besieged enclave, under a ceasefire agreement with Israel.
(Anadolu, PC)
