“We are not happy to bring down a right-wing government, but we are at the end of our rope.”
Israel’s ultra-Orthodox Shas party announced on Monday it will vote in favor of dissolving the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, during the upcoming session on Wednesday, amid growing tensions within the ruling alliance, according to Israeli media.
“As things stand, we will vote on Wednesday in favor of dissolving the Knesset, Shas spokesman Asher Medina said in an interview with the Kol Beramah radio station, the Times of Israel reported.
The Israeli ultra-Orthodox Shas party announced Monday it will vote in favor of dissolving the Knesset during the upcoming session on Wednesday, marking a major blow to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s fragile coalition.
The declaration comes amid growing tensions within the… pic.twitter.com/US6ZSlnvbc
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) June 9, 2025
Median said the party was “disappointed” with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stressing that “We expected him to take action earlier and not just in the past few days.”
The paper said that the United Torah Judaism party, an ally of Shas, “was also expected to back the preliminary reading of the bill.”
‘End of Our Rope’
Last week, the ruling coalition “entered a crisis,” the Times of Israel said, when the two parties announced they would vote to dissolve the parliament if the government does not pass a bill exempting ultra-orthodox students from enlistment in the Israeli military.
Israel’s Coalition Crisis Deepens as Knesset Dissolution Bill Gains Haredi Support
Medina told Channel 12 that “We are not happy to bring down a right-wing government, but we are at the end of our rope.”
“If there is no last-minute solution, we will dissolve the Knesset,” the spokesman added.
Threats Despite Talks
As a longtime ally of Netanyahu’s Likud party, Shas holds 11 seats in the Knesset. A withdrawal of their support could reduce the governing coalition to just 57 seats, stripping it of its majority and potentially triggering new elections, Al Mayadeen reported.
While Netanyahu’s office claimed “significant progress” in negotiations over the draft exemption bill, the ultra-Orthodox parties have maintained their threats, casting doubt on the stability of the government.
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Al Mayadeen cited Israel Hayom as reporting that the ultra-Orthodox factions are increasingly inclined to dissolve the Knesset, viewing Netanyahu as a liability. The paper quoted a senior Degel HaTorah official who said all ultra-Orthodox parties had coordinated their voting stance.
‘Manpower Shortage’
Chairman of the National Unity party, Benny Gantz, has also reportedly ordered the withdrawal of all party-sponsored legislation from Wednesday’s Knesset agenda, with the exception of a single bill: one that would dissolve the parliament.
The move, announced by the opposition party on Monday, is a direct response to what it described as “the coalition’s decision to introduce dozens of laws to overload the agenda and try to avoid a vote on dissolving the Knesset,” Al Mayadeen said.
Israel to Issue over 50,000 Conscription Orders to Ultra-Orthodox Students
Likud MK Dan Illouz said on X that “Whoever brings down a right-wing government during a time of war will be remembered as a world ignominy.”
According to the Times of Israel, approximately 80,000 Haredi men between the ages of 18 and 24 are currently “eligible for military service and have not enlisted, even as reservists have performed hundreds of days of service” since October 7, 2023.
The paper said that the army is facing “a manpower shortage” and “needs some 12,000 new soldiers — 7,000 of whom would be combat troops.”
(PC, Al Mayadeen)
Wasrael should be erased from all maps and from history. But all they’ve done should always be remembered. They are guilty of
” Blood Libel ” every single day. They willfully murder innocent Arabs all day long. They bomb little children to bits all day. They are the scum of the Earth and i cannot wait until they collapse. Zionism has defeated Judaism and the Jews are too weak, meek and needy to see it. I always heard, ” Jews are scummy, shady people you can’t trust ” , and i said naahhhh! now i see it. They hide behind the ( mostly propagandized ) ” Holocaust ” and play victim all day. They love to murder babies. Who would support that? Not me.