Khaberni - The government coalition in Israel faces an escalating crisis that might lead to its collapse, amid increasing disputes over the law exempting Jewish religious (Haredim) from recruitment, according to Israeli media.
The newspaper "Yedioth Ahronoth" - in a report on its website yesterday Sunday - referred to efforts led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to maintain his government as close as possible to the upcoming elections.
Officially, the general elections in Israel will take place at the end of October 2026 unless there are early elections.
The newspaper mentioned, citing informed sources, that in recent days, Netanyahu has been occupied with managing what it described as a "containment battle" within the coalition, by supporting the National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir despite "legal objections".
In late November, 16 Israeli former judges and security officials announced their opposition to the bill proposed by Ben-Gvir's "Jewish Power" party to execute Palestinian prisoners, which was approved by the Knesset (parliament) in a preliminary reading, claiming it "would endanger the lives of Israelis," according to Channel 12 Israeli.
In a related context, Netanyahu is pushing Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to proceed with preparing the 2026 budget, according to the newspaper.
According to sources, the threat of "Haredi" parties not to support the budget if the exemption from recruitment law is not passed "reveals the coalition's fragility, and confirms that its continuation is now on borrowed time".
The Core Issue
This comes at a time when political estimations indicate that the Israeli political system has actually entered an election campaign phase, according to the same sources.
Analysts in "Yedioth Ahronoth" believe that the issue of exempting the Haredim from recruitment has become the core problem threatening the current government's longevity. Netanyahu fears that any version of the law passed might weaken his electoral base, while the Haredim realize that going to early elections might place them in a weaker negotiating position.
According to the newspaper, whether the Knesset dissolves in the coming months or not, the political scene in Israel is heading towards a heated electoral phase, with increasing difficulty in maintaining the stability of the existing coalition.
Yesterday, Sunday, clashes broke out between the Israeli police and protesters from the "Haredim" who oppose military service, in front of a recruitment office in Jerusalem.
These clashes are part of a broader protest phenomenon led by the "Haredim" against military recruitment, since the Supreme Court's decision in 2024 to mandate their military service and prohibit financial assistance to religious institutions whose students refuse to enlist.
The "Haredim" represent about 13% of Israel's population, which totals about 10 million people. They refuse military service, claiming they dedicate their lives to studying the Torah, and fear that integration into secular society threatens their religious identity.
For decades, they have evaded recruitment at the age of 18 by obtaining repeated deferrals on the grounds of studying in religious institutes, until they reach the age of exemption, which is currently 26 years old.
