Israeli lawmakers to vote on early election in blow to Netanyahu

Israel’s center- and left-wing opposition said it’s submitting a bill to dissolve parliament and won the support of two ultra-Orthodox parties in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, opening up the prospect of early elections if the legislation makes it through four rounds of voting.

The two religious parties, United Torah Judaism and Shas, say they can no longer participate in the government because it’s seeking to draft ultra-Orthodox men to the military, ending a decades-long exemption.

The issue is highly contentious in Israel, particularly as the 20-month war in Gaza takes a toll on tens of thousands of reservists. The army says it needs more boots on the ground and the Supreme Court has ruled the ultra-Orthodox exemption illegal.

The religious parties are seeking to soften and delay any conscription law. Netanyahu and his allies are working on a last-minute compromise, arguing that, given the crises facing the country, it’s the wrong time to dissolve the government.

“Going to elections now while there are hostages in Gaza and the Iranian issue is coming to a decision would paralyze the country,” Ze’ev Elkin, a member of Netanyahu’s coalition told Army Radio.

Netanyahu was supposed to testify Wednesday in his corruption trial but asked to be exempted, claiming illness.

The legislative process could take from weeks to months and can be stopped if an agreement is reached. If the bill fails any of the four votes, the opposition is barred from re-submitting it for six months.

The government, the most religious and right-wing in the country’s history, doesn’t have to call elections till the autumn of 2026. Depending on how quickly the bill proceeds, elections could be scheduled for the end of this year or the first quarter of 2026.

The center and left want a quick end to the war in Gaza and to drive the far right from power. The ultra-Orthodox are willing to join them because of their own concerns regarding military conscription.

Netanyahu and his allies have lost popularity since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks and subsequent war in Gaza, and are not projected to win a majority in the next election.

Last year, Israel’s top court ordered the government to pass an enlistment law for the ultra-Orthodox, or Haredim, who’ve been exempt from military service so they can focus on religious study.

The drafting of Haredi men would relieve much of the pressure on Israel’s reserve forces who’ve been called up for months at a time since the war started — taking a toll on families, businesses and the economy. Polls show a solid majority of the public behind drafting Haredi men.

The religious parties answer to rabbinic authorities who see the matter as existential, and insist their men be allowed to keep studying in seminaries, which they say is as important to winning Israel’s wars as combat. Their voter base grants them enough seats in parliament to make them crucial to the formation of any government. Of Israel’s 10 million population, 1.4 million are Haredi.