Shas and United Torah Judaism have removed all coalition bills from the Knesset agenda, the parties said Wednesday, escalating a standoff with Likud over stalled legislation on Torah study and arrest exemptions for yeshiva students. The Haredi factions say they will not vote with the coalition until they see actual progress on the Basic Law: Torah Study and the bill ending arrests of draft-dodging students.
The Haredi parties' move Wednesday morning — pulling all coalition bills from the Knesset docket — marks a sharp escalation in a standoff that has simmered for over a week. The message from Shas and UTJ says they will not vote with Likud until they see 'actual progress' on the Basic Law: Torah Study and the bill freezing arrests of yeshiva students who avoid military service.
As The Zioneer reported on June 15, Shas and UTJ first halted coalition voting over the delayed daycare funding bill, demanding it be brought to the agenda. By June 16, coalition leaders agreed to pass the Torah Study basic law and the arrest-freeze bill before the Knesset disperses — but the daycare bill was left out, fueling Haredi grievances. On June 17, both the coalition and opposition pulled their bills from the agenda in an unusual joint move, though that détente did not hold.
Now the Haredi parties have taken the more aggressive step of unilaterally removing only coalition bills, a move that threatens to paralyze legislative business. The Likud leadership has not yet responded publicly. The standoff centers on two Haredi legislative priorities — the Torah Study Basic Law, and the arrest exemption for draft-dodgers — versus Likud's reluctance to advance them while facing public scrutiny over military service equality.
2 developments
- DevelopingCoalition and opposition both pull all bills from Knesset agenda, source says
- StrongCoalition heads meeting scheduled for tonight canceled
- DevelopingCoalition deal: Knesset bill shelved, part of draft law advanced instead
- StrongHaredi parties issue ultimatum to Netanyahu: pass Torah Study law or face Knesset dissolution
Source and signal
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