Shas threatens to abandon Netanyahu coalition over Jewish law exemptions

Shas, the ultra-Orthodox political party, has issued a stark warning to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, threatening to withdraw from the governing coalition unless legislation protecting Torah study exemptions is passed. The party’s official newspaper published a scathing article accusing Likud of betraying coalition agreements and undermining the foundations of the religious-nationalist alliance that props up the government.The article, written in combative language, suggested that without addressing Shas’s demands on religious legislation, there can be no meaningful coalition partnership. The phrase “without a common denominator, there can be no common camp” served as the central message of the piece, questioning whether the broader religious-nationalist bloc still exists or merely represents a temporary political arrangement.

The dispute centres on a foundational law that would enshrine exemptions from military service for full-time Torah students—a longstanding arrangement known as the “status quo” that has governed religious exemptions for decades. Shas views any attempt to modify or remove these protections as a fundamental breach of trust with religious parties who have supported Netanyahu’s coalitions.

The tensions highlight the fragile nature of Israel’s current governing arrangement, where Netanyahu depends on coalition partners from the religious right, including Shas and other ultra-Orthodox factions, to maintain his parliamentary majority. Any withdrawal by Shas would significantly weaken the government’s stability and ability to pass legislation.

Source: Ynet — Original article in Hebrew.