Netanyahu Faces Crisis Over Military Exemption Dispute

Post by : Bianca Suleiman

Photo: Reuters 

A big political problem has started for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. One of his main supporters, a party called United Torah Judaism (UTJ), has warned that it may leave his government.

On Wednesday, June 4, the UTJ party said that it wants a new law that officially excuses ultra-Orthodox Jewish men from joining the army. If the government doesn’t pass this law soon, the UTJ said it will quit supporting Netanyahu. This would be a big problem for him because his government depends on their support.

UTJ is one of two ultra-Orthodox parties helping Netanyahu stay in power. Without them, his government could fall apart.

At the same time, the opposition party called Yesh Atid, led by former Prime Minister Yair Lapid, is also making things harder for Netanyahu. Yesh Atid has suggested a vote in parliament to break up the government and hold early elections. This vote will happen next week.

Right now, Netanyahu’s government has a small lead in Israel’s parliament, which is called the Knesset. There are 120 seats in total, and his coalition holds just 8 more seats than the other side. If even one party like UTJ leaves, Netanyahu could lose control.

This situation has made the political future in Israel very uncertain. If UTJ quits or joins the vote to dissolve the Knesset, new elections could be called soon.