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The government of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu survived an attempt to dissolve the parliament early Thursday morning, most of his partners of the ultra-Orthodox coalition who join him to vote against a bill which would have forced them to register for military service during military service while military service while The country is in conflict with Hamas.
Voting has been the most serious challenge for the Netanyahu government since the Hamas October 7, 2023 attack, the greatest failure in the security in Israel and the trigger for the current conflict in Gaza. The failure of the bill means that no other bill to dissolve the Knesset can be submitted for at least six months, strengthening the besieged coalition of Netanyahu.
Ultra-Orthodox parties are furious that the government has not adopted a law exempting its compulsory military service community. The problem has long divided the Jewish Israeli public, especially during the 20 -month conflict in the Gaza Strip.
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The opposition of Israel had hoped that the anger of the public in the face of exemptions would help to overthrow the government. But only two of the 18 ultra-Orthodox members of the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, supported the bill to dissolve.
Most of the Haredi MKS agreed to vote against the bill after the president of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Yuli Edelstein, said that he and the ultra-Orthodox parties had respected a understanding on the basis of a new bill, which they will continue to discuss the coming week.
Military service is compulsory for most Jews in Israel, but politically powerful ultra-Orthodox, which represent about 13% of Israeli society, have traditionally received exemptions if they study full-time in religious seminars.
Ultra-Orthodoxes, also known as Haredim, or “fearing God” in Hebrew, say that integration into the army threatens their traditional way of life. Each year, around 13,000 ultra-Orthodox men reach the age of conscription of 18 years, but less than 10% enlist, according to the state control committee, which held a hearing examining the issue.
Israel is engaged in the longest active conflict in the country’s history, which has extended its soldiers to the point of rupture. The generalized refusal of the Haredim to serve and the threats of overthrowing the government in wartime, have merged many Israelis, in particular those which have served several reserve cycles.
& Copy 2025 the Canadian press
