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| Charedi Knesset members (JNS) |
The United Torah Judaism Party on Monday night abandoned the coalition led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in protest over the government’s failure to pass a draft law exempting ultra-Orthodox men from military service.
The announcement came after Degel HaTorah—a faction of the United Torah Judaism Party—received a letter from members of the Council of Torah Sages, a rabbinical policymaking body, instructing it to resign immediately from the coalition if a draft law wasn’t presented by Monday, according to Kan News.
Degel HaTorah’s sole representative in the Netanyahu government, Deputy Transportation Minister Uri Maklev, submitted his official resignation on Tuesday morning, along with Knesset Member Moshe Gafni, who stepped down as head of the Knesset Finance Committee. Meanwhile, Yaakov Asher resigned as chairman of the Knesset Interior and Environment Protection Committee, the party announced.
The Shas Party has signaled its intention to leave the coalition next week.
This means the 18 seats represented by the Charedi parties -
part of Netanyahu’s 67-seat governing coalition - will be lost, leaving him far
short of a majority. And that likely means new elections.
There is no joy in ‘Mudville’ today, as far as I’m
concerned. Netanyahu’s critics (and there are many) are surely salivating at
the prospect of his downfall. I’m not one of them. But as far as they’re
concerned, the “Wicked Witch of the Middle East” is about to be deposed.
I’m not going to go into detail about why I feel
differently, other than to say that under his long tenure as prime minister - by
far the longest in Israel’s history - Israel has prospered. Most notably, he
helped achieve what once seemed impossible: the defanging of a mortal enemy
whose stated goal was to annihilate Israel by any means. Which of course includes
the use of nuclear weapons should they be unable to do it any other way.
Netanyahu’s longevity in office is due to the electorate’s
repeated support for his party, Likud, or for parties aligned with its
conservative politics. Under his leadership, Israel transitioned from being a
socialist democracy to a free-market democracy. Something the voters have
consistently endorsed. Israel’s economy has thrived as a result.
But I’m not here to spoil the party that Netanyahu’s critics
are no doubt celebrating with champagne. I’m here to discuss the real reason
for the political crisis now unfolding.
Netanyahu’s political skill enabled him to juggle
diametrically opposed parties within his coalition on one of the most critical
and contentious domestic issues: the decades-old exemption of Charedim from IDF
service.
In recent years, that policy has been seriously challenged,
with calls for equality of service becoming a near-universal demand - except
among the Charedi parties themselves who believe (with all the religious fervor
they can muster) that studying Torah full time does more to protect Israel than
serving in the military. Some even argue that military service would
spiritually harm the nation by reducing the amount of Torah study!
To secure their participation in his coalition, Netanyahu
promised to pass legislation that would permanently exempt all Charedim from
military service. But he kept kicking that can down the road in order to placate
coalition partners that oppose exemptions for Charedim. The Charedi parties
eventually stopped believing him. That’s why they quit.
The problem is that such legislation is highly unpopular
with the rest of the country. By endlessly delaying the issue, Netanyahu
avoided alienating either side, both of which hoped their position would
ultimately prevail. But with no legal deferment currently in place, the IDF has
started drafting Charedim and threatening penalties for draft dodgers. Most of
whom are Charedi.
The can has now been kicked as far as it can go. The
Charedim are fed up with broken promises and have made good on their threat to
collapse the government. As the Shas chairman declared, they will now fight the
draft from the opposition.
Good luck with that.
The rest of the country is angry. While everyone else is
required to serve - sacrificing life, limb, income, and peace of mind - Charedim
expect a blanket exemption. Every non-Charedi family lives with the anxiety of
sending children into harm’s way. A modest compromise allowing a 10% enlistment
rate among Charedim could significantly ease the burden on IDF soldiers. A
small increase like that could shorten tours of duty, lower the PTSD rate, and spread
the risk to life more equitably.
I don’t see how the Charedim expect to get what they want in
the next government—whether it's center-left or center-right. Their demands are
simply too unpopular. If anything, the next draft law may be even less
compromising, treating Charedim no differently than anyone else.
That would leave the Charedim with several unappealing
options:
- Massive
demonstrations, which may be met by resentment-fueled counter-protests,
potentially leading to unprecedented street violence;
- Following
a prominent Charedi rabbinic leader’s suggestion: mass emigration;
- Or a
grassroots revolt within their own community—realizing that such a
minority position, one that exempts them from all sacrifice while others
risk everything, is morally and practically untenable.
Some may begin to follow the example of the small number of
Charedim who already serve - some of whom, tragically, have paid the ultimate price.
That the Charedi parties don’t see the handwriting on the
wall - and believe they will somehow gain more by forcing elections - reflects
their severe myopia. The belief that God will protect them because they
are the ones truly defending Israel through Torah study may soon be tested.
They believe they alone have a direct line to God. But there
are non Charerdi rabbinic authorities who say the opposite. That kind of
religious arrogance may come back to haunt them in the days, months, or years
ahead. Because it is only a matter of time before a new draft law is passed—one
that will be the opposite of what they want.
All of this could have been avoided had their leadership
been willing to compromise. Had they allowed the IDF to determine how many
Charedim—particularly those not seriously engaged in Yeshiva or Kollel
study—could be drafted, this entire issue could have faded quietly. Torah study
as a way of life could have remained largely intact.
How all this will affect the war in Gaza remains to be seen.
My hope is that the hostagwes will be freed and that the war will be over
before a new election even takes place.
May it be God’s will.
