In big shift, UTJ considers supporting an Eisenkot-led minority government — report

In what would amount to a landmark political shift, figures in the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party are reportedly considering offering support to a minority government led by leading opposition candidate Gadi Eisenkot without formally joining his coalition.

The move would mark a break in the party’s longtime alliance with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Channel 12 reported Thursday.

Under the proposed arrangement, UTJ would remain outside the coalition but help keep an Eisenkot-led government in power by abstaining from votes rather than voting against it or its legislation. Without UTJ’s seven seats, Netanyahu’s bloc would be left with 46 seats, compared with 48 for Eisenkot’s bloc, according to Channel 12.

Eisenkot could also reportedly seek support from the Islamist Ra’am party, which will hold eight seats in the Knesset.

UTJ is reportedly considering the switch out of frustration with Netanyahu, who has not passed legislation it has long demanded enshrining military service exemptions for yeshiva students.

“We won’t get anything from Netanyahu. Our alliance with him has run its course, especially now that he doesn’t have 61 seats,” a UTJ source told Channel 12. “Our interest is to once again become a decisive force in the Knesset.”

Another UTJ official expressed concern that the party could find itself in the opposition if a unity government is formed. Supporting Eisenkot would forestall that prospect.

“If a unity government is formed, there is a chance we will find ourselves in the wilderness in the opposition desert,” the official told Channel 12. “That is not what we were elected for.”

But the issue of military conscription is a major obstacle to any agreement with Eisenkot, who has staunchly opposed the blanket exemptions for Haredi men that the ultra-Orthodox parties want.

Still, some UTJ officials believe negotiations could lead to a draft law that both sides accept, according to Channel 12. Under such an arrangement, ultra-Orthodox lawmakers could publicly oppose the legislation without ending their cooperation with the government, the network reported.

One UTJ official told the news outlet that in one scenario, the party could join an Eisenkot-led government after military conscription legislation passes. It is unclear how Eisenkot could secure a majority for such legislation given that his bloc holds a minority of the Knesset.

Channel 12 reported that discussions on UTJ’s support are taking place at junior levels, and it is unclear whether the proposal has been made to Eisenkot himself.

UTJ officials reportedly hope more serious discussions will take place in the coming days. Eisenkot’s Yashar party declined to comment to Channel 12.

Leading up to the October 27 election, UTJ leader MK Yaakov Asher had distanced the party from previous alliances.

“We are not currently talking in terms of blocs. We are talking about only one bloc, our own, the Torah bloc,” Asher told Channel 12.

On Wednesday, Israel Hayom reported that a UTJ source told the daily the party was “not ruling out the possibility of cooperating with Gadi Eisenkot.”

A senior ultra-Orthodox official also told the newspaper that UTJ and Shas, the Sephardic ultra-Orthodox party, would consult their rabbinical leadership before deciding which politician to support. The official said whoever can secure legislation exempting yeshiva students from military service could win the backing of both parties, subject to rabbinical approval.

Tensions between UTJ and Netanyahu have been building for years. UTJ quit the outgoing coalition in July 2025 after delays in advancing the legislation exempting ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students from military service.

In May, Rabbi Dov Lando, the senior spiritual leader of UTJ’s Degel HaTorah faction, announced that it no longer trusted Netanyahu. Lando also called for the Knesset to dissolve and schedule an early election.

“We no longer have any trust in Netanyahu. From this point forward, we will do only what is best for Haredi Judaism and the yeshiva world,” he wrote in a statement at the time. “We must act to dissolve the Knesset as soon as possible. The concept of a [right-wing] bloc [including the Haredim] no longer exists as far as we are concerned.”