From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, July 16, 2025
Shas decides to quit government, but is not leaving coalition or pushing for elections
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"
The Shas party decides to exit the government following a meeting of its ruling Council of Torah Sages in Jerusalem, leaving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a government. The party will, however, remain a part of Netanyahu’s coalition for now and is not pushing for elections.
The party’s ministers are expected to resign their positions tomorrow morning.
Shas announced yesterday that “following the serious and unacceptable harm to the status of Torah scholars” brought about by the current government, its ruling Council of Torah Sages would meet for “a crucial discussion regarding [the party’s] continued path in the government.”
Shas party newspaper HaDerech blamed the crisis on what it called “Likud and Edelstein’s blatant violation of agreements on the law regulating the status of yeshiva students.”
Fellow Haredi party United Torah Judaism quit the coalition Monday night after being presented with a copy of a proposed enlistment bill prepared by Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Yuli Edelstein, which it argued violated the terms of a compromise that was reached by the two sides last month when an effort was being made to prevent the Haredi parties from toppling the government ahead of the war with Iran.
The Times of Israel Community.