Netanyahu reportedly worried Gur Hasidim won’t turn out to vote

Today, 9:24 pm

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Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men from the Gur Hasidic dynasty protest outside the Beit Lid Military in central Israel, July 20, 2026. (Tal Gal/Flash90)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is concerned that the Gur Hasidim, the largest and most influential Hasidic sect in Israel, do not plan to vote in the upcoming election amid anger over the failure of the Netanyahu government and the Haredi parties to secure a law exempting ultra-Orthodox youth from the military draft, Channel 12 reports.

The unsourced report says the group, which generally follows its rabbinical leaders, is unlikely to vote for United Torah Judaism, its traditional political home and a long-time ally of Netanyahu, and may instead stay home or cast protest votes for marginal parties unlikely to pass.

Former UTJ chief Yitzhak Goldknopf, a member of the sect, resigned as housing minister last year amid anger over the issue, signaling the group’s unhappiness with Netanyahu.

Gur sources confirmed to Channel 12 that there was widespread anger and said that there were no efforts to mobilize members to vote in the coming elections. The report said that there were some 30,000 potential Gur Hasidic voters.