Khaberni - The far-right affiliated Shas Party announced that it will withdraw from all its positions in the ruling coalition, protesting attempts to enforce Israeli army service on the religious "Haredim".
This move represents an escalation from the party against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, amidst the ongoing crisis of drafting the Haredim into the military.
Shas stated in a release that it announces the withdrawal from its coalition positions in the Knesset (parliament), based on directions from the Council of Torah Sages issued in July (last), which mandates the government to vote on a law regulating the status of religious institute students by no later than the opening of the Knesset's winter session.
The party noted that the head of the parliamentary education committee, MP Yossi Tayeb, and the head of the parliamentary health committee, MP Yoni Moshriki, have submitted their resignations from the leadership of the committees to Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana.
Shas is a Haredi right-wing religious party that supports the idea of integrating Judaism with state institutions and advocates for significant aid to Talmudic school students, with 11 deputies in the Knesset.
Currently, the coalition of parties forming the government includes Likud, Jewish Power, and Religious Zionism, following Shas’s withdrawal.
Agudat Israel, a religious party, also announced its withdrawal from Netanyahu's government in mid-July (last), hours after a similar move by its partner, Degel HaTorah. The two parties together form the "Yahadut HaTorah" alliance, which has 7 seats in the Knesset (parliament).
In mid-July (last), Israeli media reported that the far-right affiliated Shas Party decided to resign from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government - who is wanted by the International Criminal Court - without currently withdrawing from the ruling coalition, amid the fallout from the crisis of drafting religious Jews (Haredim) into the army.
"Death is better than the army"
On another note, thousands of Haredi Jews (ultra-Orthodox), on Wednesday evening, closed roads in central, northern, and southern Israel, protesting against the arrest of draft dodgers from their community, and rejecting military service.
The Haredim continue their protests against military draft following the Supreme Court’s (highest judicial body) decision on June 25, 2024, obliging them to enlist and prohibiting financial aid to religious institutions whose students refuse military service.
The Haredim constitute about 13% of Israel’s population, which totals 10 million people, and they refuse military service under the claim of dedicating their lives to studying the Torah, emphasizing that integration into the secular society poses a threat to their religious identity and the continuity of their community.
The voice of senior rabbis, whose statements are considered religious decrees for the Haredim, grows louder, calling for the rejection of the draft, and even tearing up the summons.
On Wednesday evening, Channel Ten (private Hebrew channel) reported that thousands of Haredim are demonstrating at various locations across Israel, following the military police’s arrest of three students from religious schools the previous night.
The protesters took to the streets of Bnei Brak and Jerusalem (central) and Safed (north), blocking main streets, demanding the release of the young men and the cancellation of draft orders for students in religious schools, according to the same source.
The demonstrations are concentrated on Highway 4 near the city of Bnei Brak, on Jabotinsky Street in the city, in Beit Shemesh (central) in Safed, and in Kikar Hashabbat (Sabbath Square) in Jerusalem.
For decades, the Haredim have managed to avoid drafting when they reach the age of 18, by getting repeated deferments on the grounds of studying in religious institutes until they reach the age of exemption at 26 years.
The opposition accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of seeking to pass a law that exempts the Haredim from drafting, in response to demands from the Shas and Yahadut HaTorah parties which withdrew from the government earlier this year, but are preparing to return as soon as a law meeting their demands is passed.
