Shas weighs leaving government over ‘harm to Torah scholars’

The Council of Torah Sages of Shas, the Sephardic Haredi party, will convene Wednesday to discuss the party’s future in the government, following United Torah Judaism’s resignation from the government and coalition. In a statement from Shas leader Aryeh Deri’s office, it said the meeting was prompted by “the severe and unacceptable harm to the status of Torah scholars.” While no final decision has been made, political analysts expect Shas to announce its withdrawal from the government in the coming days.

Meanwhile, following a blitz of late-night talks and the ongoing crisis surrounding the military draft exemption law—stalled for months—Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chair Yuli Edelstein is scheduled to hold a press conference Wednesday afternoon.

Despite UTJ’s resignation, the Haredi parties are continuing behind-the-scenes negotiations to find a solution. Sources say Shas, under Deri’s leadership, plans to resign from government roles but not from the coalition, giving Netanyahu a further opportunity to resolve the crisis. Deri himself joined Monday’s calls to seek a resolution. As a result, Netanyahu’s circle believes the government is shaken but not yet collapsed.

There is now a more realistic possibility of advancing a new draft exemption bill even without Edelstein’s backing. Haredi officials claim Edelstein violated understandings reached before Israel’s strike on Iran. Netanyahu defended the delay, saying he avoided upheaval ahead of such a critical military operation—but it was clear the bill would not pass in its agreed form. This has led Netanyahu to consider replacing Edelstein, though such a move may not resolve all tensions with the Haredim.

Despite Netanyahu’s frustration with Edelstein, political sources say the committee chair is, in one regard, serving him faithfully. “Edelstein is buying him time. Netanyahu wants to finish this term or take it as far as he can, and Edelstein is helping in that regard,” a source said. It remains unclear whether Edelstein will soon bring the bill to a vote or continue to stall. As of now, the draft has not been made public, so its reception remains uncertain.

Edelstein, for his part, is expected to shift the responsibility back to the Haredi parties. Despite harsh criticism and intense pressure in his meeting with Netanyahu, he reportedly told the prime minister: “Either there will be a real draft law—or there will be nothing.” Efforts to preserve the current coalition framework continue throughout the day.

Amid the political storm and delay in passing a law to exempt Haredi youth from military service, the IDF is preparing stricter enforcement and arrests of those deemed draft dodgers. Inbar Goldner, head of the IDF Military Police’s Detainee Unit, told the Knesset State Audit Committee that the army is expanding prison capacity, already adding another unit to accommodate more detainees.

She added that enforcement at Ben-Gurion Airport has tripled. “Anyone flagged as a deserter or draft evader will be detained at police terminals, and arrest teams will be dispatched immediately. We’re building an additional enforcement layer beyond traditional methods, with smart enforcement at checkpoints and in coordination with Israel Police,” she said.

Brig. Gen. Shay Tayeb, head of the IDF’s Human Resources Planning Division, reported that between July 2023 and July 2024, 24,000 draft orders were issued to Haredi men. Of those, 422 enlisted—98 of them as combat soldiers. About 1,200 showed up at recruitment offices; 3,700 received "Order 12" pre-arrest notices; and 1,300 are classified as evaders, having ignored draft dates for over 540 days.

Tayeb noted that enforcement operations resumed in August after a hiatus during the early stages of the war. “These are focused operations aligned with combat draft cycles. We're investing significant resources in the military police—both enforcement and prison infrastructure. The prison numbers don’t match the scale we may face with noncompliance. State intervention is essential,” he said.

The late-night resignations of United Torah Judaism’s ministers and Knesset lawmakers marked the culmination of yet another tense day for the Ashkenazi Haredi faction, which finally declared: draft exemption law or resignation.

Over the past 24 hours, the Haredi parties issued warnings to the coalition, stating that if a bill was not agreed upon within hours, they would resign. These threats had been repeated for months, prompting skepticism within the coalition. Edelstein’s spokesperson, Maayan Samon, even tweeted: “When I can’t sleep, I count threats.” But this time, the Haredim appeared to mean it.

The drawn-out meeting in Edelstein’s office signaled that negotiations weren’t going well. Throughout the night, Knesset lawmakers came and went, updating their rabbis that “there was no breakthrough” and “no progress.” By midnight, after accusing Edelstein of deception, UTJ ministers and MKs resigned.

Those who stepped down include:

– Meir Porush, Minister of Jerusalem and Jewish Tradition

– Yaakov Tessler, Deputy Minister of Culture and Sport

– Uri Maklev, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Transportation Ministry

Also resigning from Knesset roles:

– Moshe Gafni, Chair of the Finance Committee

– Yaakov Asher, Chair of the Interior and Environment Committee

– Yitzhak Pindrus, Chair of the Public Petitions Committee

They joined Yitzhak Goldknopf, who resigned weeks ago as Housing Minister over the lack of a draft exemption law, and Knesset lawmaker Yisrael Eichler, who left the Welfare Committee chairmanship in anticipation of a ministerial appointment.

Shas’ position remains unclear. In recent days, the party aligned closely with Degel HaTorah and shared Tuesday night’s anger toward Edelstein—but it made no formal announcements overnight. While Deri wants to maintain the alliance with the Ashkenazi Haredim to strengthen leverage on the government, he is also known for preserving government stability—having blocked a no-confidence vote before the war with Iran.

Over the next 48 hours, Shas will monitor developments to see if UTJ walks back its resignations.

On the front page of "HaDerech," the party-affiliated newspaper, it was reported: “The Council of Torah Sages will convene in the coming days to decide Shas’ continued role in the government and coalition, following blatant violations of agreements by Likud and Edelstein on the draft exemption law.”

Despite the walkout, the road to dissolving the government or calling elections remains long. The coalition now has 61 lawmakers—barely a majority—and that includes Avi Maoz, who previously announced he was leaving the coalition but still votes with it at times. Without Shas, the coalition would shrink to just 49 lawmakers.

In recent weeks, the Haredim have boycotted votes, rendering the coalition paralyzed and without a working majority. Still, no election date has been set, and the government could continue to operate as a minority.

The opposition is expected to try to exploit the crisis. The left of center Yesh Atid party may attempt to collect signatures from Haredi lawmakers to resubmit a bill to dissolve the Knesset. Since a similar bill failed a month ago, it cannot be resubmitted for six months unless 61 Knesset members sign a request for reconsideration.

Currently, Yesh Atid is nine signatures short, since all opposition lawmakers have signed. If the threshold is met by Wednesday, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana would be obligated to allow a new vote—possibly within days. Even then, several more steps would be required before dissolving the Knesset and calling new elections.