From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, May 13, 2026
Coalition pulls all bills from Knesset due to concerns it lacks majority amid apparent break with Haredi factions
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition removes all its bills from the Knesset plenum’s agenda for today due to concerns it does not have a majority after a Haredi faction said yesterday it was no longer part of the bloc.
Lawmakers traditionally vote on bills in their preliminary readings on Wednesdays.
According to Hebrew media reports, the decision comes as a result of the announcement by the ultra-Orthodox Degel HaTorah party that it no longer considers itself part of Netanyahu’s bloc and will work toward dissolving the Knesset because of the coalition’s failure to pass legislation exempting yeshiva students from military conscription.
This, the Ynet news site reports, has led the coalition to question how fellow ultra-Orthodox party Shas will vote in the plenum, given that it has not yet responded to Degel HaTorah’s announcement.
Degel HaTorah is one of two factions, alongside the Hasidic Agudat Yisrael, which comprise the larger United Torah Judaism party. Speaking with The Times of Israel, a well-placed Agudat Yisrael source Tuesday indicated that they will support the dissolution of the Knesset should it come to a vote.
The Times of Israel Community.