Coalition on the Brink: Netanyahu Scrambles to Avert Knesset Dissolution Over Haredi Draft Law

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – Israel’s governing coalition is teetering on the edge of collapse as tensions over a proposed Haredi conscription bill deepen, prompting multiple parties to push for dissolving the Knesset and sending the nation toward new elections.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened an urgent meeting today with Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Yuli Edelstein in a last-ditch effort to salvage unity within the coalition. According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, the two clarified “that there is a way to bridge the gaps on the issue of conscription.” Further meetings are set for Wednesday with former Shas MK Ariel Atias and Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs to explore a solution.

Edelstein has remained firm in his stance that any new conscription law must include penalties for draft evaders, a red line for ultra-Orthodox parties. Last night’s meeting between Edelstein and Haredi representatives ended in deadlock, prompting spiritual leaders of Degel HaTorah — a faction of United Torah Judaism — to instruct their MKs to introduce a bill dissolving the Knesset. Shas leader Aryeh Deri backed the move, declaring during a faction meeting, “We’re going to elections.”

Deri accused Edelstein of sabotaging the coalition for personal reasons, claiming the veteran Likud lawmaker “wants to screw Bibi over and bring down his coalition out of personal revenge.”

Edelstein, in a social media post, defended his position, stating: “A law without effective personal sanctions, high draft targets, and a significant increase in Haredi enlistment is not a draft law — it’s evasion.” While reaffirming his support for the coalition, he insisted the time had come to enact a real reform. “We must not stop the work on the various fronts and engage in politics… After 77 years, we can make history,” he wrote.

The opposition swiftly capitalized on the unrest. Benny Gantz’s National Unity party released a statement supporting the dissolution of the Knesset, saying, “This government must be overthrown.” Yisrael Beytenu, Yesh Atid, and The Democrats also pledged to submit their own bills to dissolve the Knesset, with an initial vote expected next week.

With growing support across both the coalition and opposition for early elections, the survival of Netanyahu’s government may now hinge on the ability to reconcile deep divisions within the right-wing and religious blocs.

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