Shas announced Monday that it will not support any coalition legislation unless arrests of Haredi yeshiva draft evaders are halted, according to the party. The threat escalates an ongoing coalition standoff over ultra-Orthodox military service.
Shas announced Monday that the party will not vote for any coalition legislation unless the arrest campaign against Haredi yeshiva draft evaders is stopped. The statement, issued without additional detail, raises the party's demand in a coalition dispute that has simmered for weeks over ultra-Orthodox military service.
The threat follows a series of escalations: earlier Monday, Shas chairman Aryeh Deri told the party faction that Shas would also require advancing the Basic Law: Torah Study — a separate constitutional bill protecting yeshiva study from the draft — as a condition for its legislative support (as The Zioneer reported at 16:01). The latest announcement appears to sharpen the condition on arrests specifically.
The coalition majority has been under strain since June, with Shas and United Torah Judaism boycotting votes at various points over the daycare funding bill and the evader-arrest freeze. Prime Minister Netanyahu has convened coalition heads to secure a majority for a freeze law, but no agreement has been reached. The arrests of Haredi draft evaders have triggered protests and police confrontations in recent weeks, including a major disturbance in Ashdod on June 12. It remains unclear whether Shas's latest demand represents a hardening of its position or a narrowing of earlier conditions.
- StrongDeri to coalition: no votes for any legislation unless Torah Study Basic Law advances
- DevelopingPM's office: coalition has the votes for Deri's bill to stop draft-evader arrests
- DevelopingSenior Israeli police officers urge halting proactive arrests of Haredi draft evaders
- StrongShas MKs, rabbi join Haredi protest rally outside military prison over draft-evader arrest
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