Benjamin Netanyahu’s government fractures as ultra-Orthodox party quits coalition

The departure of United Torah Judaism party leaves Benjamin Netanyahu’s government with a razor thin 61-seat majority in the 120 seat parliament.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu surrounded by ministers from the government attends a session of the Knesset, Israel's parliament, on Monday. Picture: AP /Ohad Zwigenberg

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government suffered a serious blow on Tuesday when an ultra-Orthodox party announced it was leaving the ruling coalition over a long-running dispute about mandatory military service.

The departure of the United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party leaves Mr Netanyahu’s government with the slenderest of majorities, with 61 of the 120 seats in parliament.

The conscription of ultra-Orthodox Jews is a highly contentious issue for Israeli society and Mr Netanyahu’s government as the army looks for manpower for Gaza.

Under an arrangement dating back to the founding of the state of Israel in 1948, the ultra-Orthodox have been effectively exempted from military service as long as they dedicate themselves full-time to religious studies.

The UTJ party said it was leaving the coalition over the government’s failure to secure the exemptions. Its defection takes 48 hours to come into effect.

Israeli soldiers mourn over the coffin of army captain Reei Biran, killed in combat in the southern Gaza Strip last week. Picture: AFP

The announcement that three more Israeli soldiers had been killed in Gaza on Monday, taking the army’s overall losses to 458, fuelled criticism of the UTJ’s position.

“Even as this news was already on the desks of the prime minister and coalition leaders, they continued with full force to promote the draft-dodging law, without thinking about the fighters in the field who need more partners to share the burden with them,” opposition politician Avigdor Lieberman posted on X.

After the first of two UTJ factions announced it would quit the government, former prime minister Naftali Bennett wrote: “These politicians are trying to prevent young Orthodox Jews from joining their heroic peers who are defending the people of Israel with their bodies.”

Discussions aimed at amending the conscription law have intensified in Israel in recent months, putting the government under increasing pressure.

Formed in December 2022, the coalition hinges on an alliance between Mr Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud, far-right parties and those representing the ultra-Orthodox.

Ultra-Orthodox party Shas said it would meet Wednesday for “a crucial discussion on the continuation of Shas’s mandate in government” following “serious and unacceptable attacks on the status of Torah scholars” with regard to military service.

If Shas too left the coalition, Mr Netanyahu’s government would be left without a majority.

Gaza mediators ‘intensifying’ efforts to reach deal in Doha

The departure of the UTJ comes as Gaza ceasefire talks remain in their “first phase” after more than a week of talks, even as mediators step up efforts to broker a truce between Israel and Hamas.

“Discussions on the framework agreement are still ongoing. Both delegations are present here in Doha, and the mediators are intensifying efforts to reach an agreement,” Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari told reporters.

“The negotiations are still in the first phase, which is specifically about reaching an agreement of principle ahead of negotiations that will begin, God willing, in the next phase,” he said.

But uncertainty loomed over the efforts, which had appeared deadlocked over the weekend, with each side accusing the other of staking out positions that prevented a deal from being reached. “We cannot say whether an agreement will be reached tomorrow or whether the negotiations will collapse tomorrow,” Mr Ansari said.

On Saturday, Palestinian sources told AFP that Israel’s proposals for keeping troops in the territory were preventing progress towards a deal.

But the Qatari spokesman insisted: “We believe there is no stalemate,” adding there was no set time frame for the talks. Qatar has been mediating indirect negotiations between the warring parties alongside Egypt and the United States.

AFP, AP