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ultra-Orthodox parties

The Knesset plenum in Jerusalem, May 13, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Preliminary vote to dissolve Knesset set for Wednesday, but no election date set
By Sam Sokol
Democrats’ Yair Golan reportedly urges opposition leaders to hold joint press conference ahead of vote to show unity; elections must be held by Oct. 27 in any case
Ultra-Orthodox lawmakers attend a vote to dissolve the Knesset, May 20, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
May 24, 2026, 11:29 pm
Haredi parties reject latest draft exemption bill, setting stage for Sept. elections
Spiritual leader of ultra-Orthodox faction believes Netanyahu has no intention of letting the bill pass into law, is instead trying to use it for a larger electoral maneuver
By Sam Sokol
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men attend a rally against the detention of yeshiva students who evaded conscription outside the IDF's Beit Lid military prison, August 14, 2025. (Tal Gal/Flash90)
May 24, 2026, 3:53 pm
Haredi bill aims to reduce draft dodgers’ sentences if religious needs ‘violated’
UTJ’s Porush claims there is ongoing ‘violation of basic religious rights’ of Haredi evaders in military prison, even though IDF provides for the religious needs of soldiers
By Sam Sokol
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Minister and MKs attend a plenum session and a vote on reviving the ultra-Orthodox draft exemption bill at the assembly hall of the Knesset, in Jerusalem, on June 11, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
May 20, 2026, 8:33 pm
Netanyahu’s union with Haredi parties pushing draft evasion risks his reelection
Bill legalizing exemptions for ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students faces pushback from within the coalition, while Haredi factions desert PM over failure to pass law
By Melanie Lidman
The Knesset plenum in Jerusalem, May 13, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
May 20, 2026, 1:00 am
Preliminary vote to dissolve Knesset set for Wednesday, but no election date set
Democrats’ Yair Golan reportedly urges opposition leaders to hold joint press conference ahead of vote to show unity; elections must be held by Oct. 27 in any case
By Sam Sokol
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and coalition whip Ofir Katz seen in the Knesset, March 29, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
May 13, 2026, 8:17 pm
Coalition files bill to dissolve Knesset, doesn’t set an election date
Netanyahu’s chief whip submits legislation to preempt opposition bill that would bring vote forward from Oct. 27 deadline, as Haredi mutiny throws government’s legislative plans into disarray
By Ariela Karmel and Sam Sokol
Rabbi Dov Lando casts his vote at a voting station on the morning of the Municipal Elections, in Bnei Brak, on February 27, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/ Flash90/ File)
May 13, 2026, 9:30 am
Ultra-Orthodox parties break with Netanyahu but know they have nowhere else to go
Despite Rabbi Lando’s ultimatum and anger over the draft law, any talk of a historic alliance with the center-left is baseless, as the Haredi factions rightly fear losing their voters
By Shalom Yerushalmi
Israelis attending anti-war protest take shelter in Tel Aviv's Habima parking lot as alert for Iranian missile sounds on April 4, 2026 (Miriam Alster/Flash90)
April 6, 2026, 2:11 pm
Daily Briefing April 6: Court, MKs battle over wartime restrictions on protests vs. prayers
Political correspondent Sam Sokol discusses backlash to High Court’s order to allow an anti-war rally, and unexpected support for ultra-Orthodox educational funds during 2026 budget vote
By Jessica Steinberg and Sam Sokol
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (center) and other coalition ministers and MKs celebrate the approval of the state budget in the fortified auditorium in the Knesset in Jerusalem, during the war against Iran, early on March 30, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
March 30, 2026, 3:34 am
Knesset approves 2026 budget, Israel’s largest ever, sending billions to Haredi institutions
Coalition averts early elections under the wire as $271 billion wartime budget passes amid missile sirens, with opposition MKs mistakenly backing last-minute transfer to yeshivas
By Ariela Karmel and Sam Sokol
The Knesset's fortified auditorium during the war with Iran and Hezbollah, March 23, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
March 29, 2026, 5:11 pm
Knesset set to hold final 2 votes on passing 2026 state budget
Budget must pass ahead of March 31 deadline to avoid early elections; spending plan boosts defense funding amid war with Iran and allocates funds to ultra-Orthodox constituencies
By Ariela Karmel and Sam Sokol
An ultra-Orthodox man casts his vote at the Safed Likud polling station on February 5, 2019 during the party's primaries. (David Cohen/Flash90)
February 26, 2026, 7:10 pm
Likud’s ultra-Orthodox wing accuses Haredi factions of seeking to take over party
In a letter to Netanyahu, Likud Haredim condemn what they describe as an ‘organized movement aimed at harming and weakening Likud and its leader’
By Sam Sokol
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich leads a faction meeting at the Knesset on December 29, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
January 1, 2026, 2:26 pm
Daily Briefing Jan. 1: Day 818 – Coalition, Haredim and judiciary on collision course
Political reporters Sam Sokol and Ariela Karmel discuss government clash with High Court over ultra-Orthodox school funding, finance minister’s threats and Jerusalem rabbinate battles
By Jessica Steinberg, Ariela Karmel and Sam Sokol
Supreme Court Justice Yael Willner at a court hearing on who will have authority over the Sde Teiman leak probe, at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, November 11, 2025.(Yonatan SIndel/Flash90)
December 31, 2025, 9:30 pm
High Court halts transfer of NIS 1 billion to Haredi schools as it reviews case
Petitioners accuse government of breaking law by funding institutions allegedly not teaching core subjects; ultra-Orthodox leaders rail against ‘antisemitic’ court
By Jeremy Sharon, Ariela Karmel, Sam Sokol and ToI Staff
Ultra-Orthodox children dressed up in costumes at their cheder in Jerusalem, several days before the Jewish holiday of Purim, March 5, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
December 30, 2025, 11:06 pm
Lapid petitions High Court to halt billion-shekel transfer to ultra-Orthodox schools
Court gives government until Wednesday morning to respond; ‘We will not allow Israel’s ultra-Orthodox children to be turned into second-class citizens,’ says UTJ chairman Goldknopf
By Sam Sokol
MK Moshe Gafni, left, with MK Aryeh Deri at the Knesset in Jerusalem, March 13, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
December 30, 2025, 8:14 pm
Shas, Degel HaTorah trade barbs in fight for control of Jerusalem religious council
Haredi parties battle for control of capital’s religious bureaucracy, leading to boycotts of coalition legislation as form of leverage
By Sam Sokol
Ultra-Orthodox Jews clash with police during a protest against being drafted to the army, in Jerusalem, May 5, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
November 19, 2025, 6:11 pm
High Court gives government 45 days to draw up sanctions for Haredi draft dodgers
In fierce rebuke, Justice Sohlberg accuses ultra-Orthodox of abandoning ‘their brothers in time of need,’ points to ‘families torn apart, reservists who lost livelihoods’ during war
By Jeremy Sharon
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