A leading Israeli rabbi has reportedly ordered his faction’s Knesset members to back a bill calling for the dissolution of the parliament.
United Torah Judaism (UTJ) chairman Yitzhak Goldknopf is calling on his fellow Haredi lawmakers to propose a bill to dissolve the Knesset, his spokesperson announced on Tuesday. According to Israeli media, the move may pressure the government to advance legislation formalizing exemptions for Haredi enlistment in the Israeli military.
According to the Jerusalem Post, UTJ members met on Tuesday at the Knesset to discuss possible next steps. Under Israeli law, if a bill to dissolve the Knesset passes, new elections must be held within 90 days.
Meanwhile, a leading Israeli rabbi has ordered his faction’s Knesset members to back a bill calling for the dissolution of the country’s parliament, according to Israeli media reports.
The move by Rabbi Dov Landau, who leads the non-Hasidic Ashkenazi Haredi community, could lead to early elections, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on Wednesday.
Housing Minister Yizhak Goldknopf is pressuring fellow ultra-Orthodox politicians to begin legislating a bill to disperse the Knesset and send Israel to an election, @BreuerEliav reports.
Read more below:https://t.co/AmJGtMihf2
— The Jerusalem Post (@Jerusalem_Post) June 3, 2025
It follows “a joint ultimatum issued last week with the party’s Hasidic faction warning they would reconsider their place in the coalition if it does not pass legislation exempting Haredi (orthodox Jews – PC) men from compulsory military service.”
According to the Israeli i24News, Lando issued the instruction to members of the Degel HaTorah (Torah Flag) faction of United Torah Judaism. The party is one of the two major ultra-Orthodox parties in the government, the report said, “along with the Sephardic religious Shas.”
Unsuccessful Meeting
The report also noted that the decision follows an unsuccessful meeting between Likud MK Yuli Edelstein, chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, and representatives of the ultra-Orthodox party.
The Knesset Dissolution Law bill is expected to be discussed next Wednesday, the report added.
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Haaretz said that Rabbi Landau did not tell party leadership “to resign from the government immediately, allowing the government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a few more weeks to reach a solution.”
The paper noted that if the United Torah Judaism party resigns, Shas – the second Haredi party – is expected “to follow suit, effectively stripping the coalition of its majority.”
Coalition Partners
At the same time, associates of rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch, who co-leads the party alongside rabbi Landau, reportedly said that he called for the party to withdraw from the coalition in the near future. This follows the meeting with Edelstein.
“There is no progress at all on the draft issue,” his associates were quoted as saying.
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Haaretz cited several sources within United Torah Judaism as having “described the meeting with Edelstein as unsuccessful.”
“Under these conditions, we cannot remain partners in the coalition,” a source said.
Rules of Bill
In addition, opposition parties Yesh Atid and Yisrael Beytenu also announced they would submit their own bills to dissolve the Knesset next week, Haaretz said.
Yair Lapid, of the Yesh Atid party and Leader of the Opposition, said on X that Yesh Atid will submit a bill next week “to the plenary to dissolve the Knesset.”
בשבוע הבא יש עתיד תעלה למליאה הצעת חוק לפיזור הכנסת. כל מה שהקואליציה הביאה לעם ישראל זה כאב ואסונות ושכול ומשברים.
הגיע הזמן שתהיה פה קואליציה של תקווה שתרפא את הפצעים של העם הנהדר הזה pic.twitter.com/yjgzzPPm8c
— יאיר לפיד – Yair Lapid (@yairlapid) June 4, 2025
“All the coalition has brought to the people of Israel is pain and disasters and bereavement and crises. It’s time for a coalition of hope to heal the wounds of this wonderful nation,” he stated.
While on Tuesday, Moti Babchik, chief of staff to Haredi Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf, met with National Unity party leader Benny Gantz “to discuss the possibility of advancing legislation to dissolve the Knesset.”
The paper noted that the opposition parties’ intention to submit bills to dissolve the Knesset “may cause political hesitation among the Haredi parties, which generally seek to avoid appearing as if they are cooperating with Yesh Atid.”
“As a rule, if a bill is voted down, it cannot be resubmitted – or any similar bill – for six months, unless the Knesset speaker determines that circumstances have changed,” Haaretz reported.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
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