Netanyahu Government Teeters as Shas Ministers Resign over Ultra-Orthodox Draft Dispute, Coalition Reduced to 60 Seats
by Worthy News Jerusalem Bureau Staff
(Worthy News) – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition plunged into deeper crisis Wednesday as the ultra-Orthodox Shas party announced its ministers were resigning from the government in protest of the failure to pass legislation exempting yeshiva students from military service. The move, while not an official departure from the coalition, further weakens Netanyahu’s grip on power, reducing his effective support in the Knesset to just 60 out of 120 members.
Despite publicly releasing his resignation letter, Religious Services Minister Michael Malkieli (Shas) has not submitted it to Netanyahu. According to Hebrew media reports, Malkieli is holding off until Sunday to participate in a key vote on the fate of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara. In an interview earlier in the day, he expressed hope that a compromise on the conscription bill could still enable Shas to participate fully in the government.
“We are still committed to Netanyahu,” Malkieli said, blaming Likud MK Yuli Edelstein for backtracking on promises to soften the conscription bill. “Edelstein is motivated by hatred for Netanyahu. Anyone who wants to maintain Netanyahu’s government does not behave the way he behaves.”
Adding to the turmoil, Interior Minister Moshe Arbel, another Shas official, briefly submitted his resignation but reportedly withdrew it to appoint a Shas loyalist to a key ministry post–only to resubmit it again afterward in a tactical move.
The unraveling of the coalition escalated further Wednesday evening when far-right MK Avi Maoz, head of the anti-LGBTQ Noam party, announced he no longer considers himself part of Netanyahu’s coalition. “According to my calculation, there are only 60 MKs in the coalition,” Maoz wrote on X, pushing the government into minority status.
Maoz previously resigned his deputy ministerial post in March, decrying a “deep state” agenda undermining Jewish identity in education and law. He cited unfulfilled coalition agreements and the government’s refusal to empower his Jewish National Identity Office. Despite multiple resignations over the past year, Maoz has returned after securing budgetary and policy gains.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu faces simultaneous boycotts from both Shas and the Ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party, which quit the coalition earlier in the week. Both parties demand legislation ensuring broad military exemptions for tens of thousands of Haredi men, a practice recently ruled unlawful by Israel’s High Court. The Israel Defense Forces has said it urgently needs 12,000 additional recruits as the country faces prolonged conflict on multiple fronts.
Despite the resignations, both Shas and UTJ insist they remain part of the right-wing bloc and are not aligning with the opposition. Still, their exit from cabinet responsibilities and refusal to vote with the government have paralyzed legislative efforts.
Shas leader Aryeh Deri reportedly pushed for a hardline stance during a meeting of the party’s Council of Torah Sages. In a joint statement, the rabbis accused Netanyahu’s Likud of persecuting yeshiva students and issued a warning: pass a conscription exemption law by the start of the Knesset’s winter session in October, or risk losing the coalition entirely.
Netanyahu’s internal challenges have been compounded by criticism from Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, who declared the government “illegitimate.”
“A minority government cannot send soldiers to war or negotiate with our enemies,” Lapid said. “It cannot continue to funnel billions to the corrupt and draft dodgers while ignoring national security.”
Despite the chaos, political analysts say the government is unlikely to fall in the near term. Assaf Shapira of the Israel Democracy Institute noted that while the coalition has lost its majority, none of the splintered factions are currently pushing for new elections.
Still, the current standoff leaves Netanyahu with a deeply fractured government, no clear legislative path, and waning authority in the face of mounting security and political challenges. With the Knesset heading into recess on July 27, pressure is mounting to resolve the enlistment impasse before lawmakers return in October.
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