Coalition lawmakers urge Haredi parties not to topple government over draft exemption bill

By Ariela Karmel

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12 May 2026, 6:46 pm

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Ariela Karmel is a political correspondent at The Times of Israel. She previously reported for Calcalist and Haaretz. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern and African History from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.

Coalition lawmakers urge their ultra-Orthodox allies not to bring down the government after the Degel HaTorah faction announced earlier today that it would push to dissolve the Knesset, sending Israel to early elections, over the coalition’s failure to pass legislation exempting yeshiva students from military service.

“Don’t dismantle the bloc! I worked side by side with the Haredim. I see them as partners on the path,” Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman and Likud MK Boaz Bismuth says in a post on X, urging them “not to throw the baby out with the bathwater” and “not to give a gift” to the opposition or Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.

“The law is ready and can already be advanced tomorrow,” he says, referring to the draft exemption bill for yeshiva students that has been deliberated by his committee.

Degel HaTorah, one of the two factions making up the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party, announced earlier today that it would push to dissolve the Knesset following instructions from the faction’s spiritual leader, Rabbi Dov Lando.

“We have one leader steering the ship. The authority, decision-making power, and final word belong solely to Prime Minister Netanyahu,” Bismuth adds.

Lando’s decision came in response to Netanyahu telling Haredi MKs last week that the coalition currently doesn’t have the votes to pass the controversial legislation.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s far-right coalition party Otzma Yehudit says in a statement that while the party “is strong,” going to early elections would be a mistake.

“We call on the parties of the national camp to act responsibly and not bring down the government. This government still has several tasks left to complete,” the party says in a statement.