A new crisis in Israel over the conscription law and the race for an early election has begun

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering dismissing Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman Yuli Edelstein due to his hardline stance against the law exempting ultra-Orthodox Jews from military service.

Sources indicate increasing pressure from the Haredim and their rabbis that could lead to support for dissolving the government, deepening the crisis within the coalition.

Although Netanyahu’s office has denied this scenario, those close to him are examining the potential political and time-related gains of such a move, particularly given the growing pressure from the Haredim to swiftly pass the law.

In an indication of the escalating crisis, the United Torah Judaism bloc boycotted a meeting to discuss the law, claiming that Edelstein refuses to compromise and there is no point in attending.

According to political sources, a number of senior rabbis held a meeting last night to discuss the possibility of supporting the dissolution of the government, with a clear tendency so far toward hesitating and temporarily supporting it.

In a further development, Moti Babchik, a prominent figure in the Agudat Israel party and close to Rabbi Gur (a title meaning Chief Rabbi in Judaism), met with opposition leader Benny Gantz.

During the meeting, the possibility of pushing for the dissolution of the Knesset was discussed, with the support of some Haredi and opposition members, in light of the escalating dispute over the conscription law.

Israeli media reported that the Israel Beiteinu party bloc intends to propose a bill to dissolve the Knesset during the next session, and the Labor Party bloc is also preparing to present a similar initiative.

In the same context, journalist Ariel Kahana quoted a senior official close to Netanyahu as saying, “Every effort will be made to prevent early elections”.

Chief Rabbi Hirsch, leader of the Lithuanian ultra-Orthodox movement, intends to issue a directive to withdraw from the government coalition after being informed last night of the details of a meeting held by several Knesset members with Edelstein, which didn’t result in any tangible progress on the conscription law issue.

The Israeli media reported that the Shas party remained silent this morning, not issuing any statement regarding its position on the proposals to dissolve the Knesset, in light of the conscription law crisis.

Sources indicated that Shas now holds the key to the government’s survival, given that the United Torah Judaism bloc doesn’t have enough votes to bring it down on its own.

The ultra-Orthodox parties have been threatening to immediately withdraw from the ruling coalition if the authorities continue their campaign of arrests against ultra-Orthodox evaders of military service.

The Israeli Supreme Court recently emphasized the need to apply the conscription law fairly to all segments of society, placing Netanyahu between pressure from the judicial and military establishments on the one hand, and pressure from his religious coalition partners on the other.