العربية 
For months, Haredi parties have threatened to support a bill to dissolve the Knesset in order to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to pass a conscription law that would exempt their constituents from mandatory military service and secure funding for religious schools and seminaries.
Although those threats were met with skepticism on several occasions, as Haredi parties previously stepped back from similar moves, they appear to have taken a new turn yesterday, with renewed warnings from the parties about dissolving the Knesset and calling early elections.
Today, the front page of Yated Ne’eman, the newspaper affiliated with the Haredi party Degel HaTorah, featured remarks by Rabbi Dov Lando, the leader of the Lithuanian stream (the largest Haredi faction). He was quoted as saying: “We do not trust the prime minister. We are no longer his partners, and we are not committed to him. We need elections as soon as possible.”
Similarly, HaModia, the mouthpiece of the Agudat Yisrael party, reported that “all components of the United Torah Judaism list agree that there is no chance the Likud party will fulfill its commitment to regulate the status of yeshiva students, and it will seek to dissolve the Knesset.”
Escalation Milestones
Less than a year ago in June, on the eve of the war with Iran tensions between the government and the Haredim reached a peak. They threatened to vote in favor of dissolving the Knesset in protest against the then-chair of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Yuli Edelstein, who refused to present a draft exemption bill from military service.
Intensive negotiations prevented the move at the last minute, and the Haredi parties ultimately voted against dissolving the Knesset, except for the leader of Agudat Yisrael, who voted with the opposition and later resigned his position.
A day later, Israel launched an attack on Iran, which postponed the handling of the political crisis.
After the war ended, the Haredi parties renewed their demand for a new exemption law. When it was rejected, they began boycotting coalition-related votes.
The crisis escalated again in July 2025, when Haredi ministers resigned from the government in protest over the arrest of yeshiva students during demonstrations opposing conscription. Nevertheless, their influence remained effectively intact within governmental and parliamentary institutions.
This led to the coalition losing its stable majority and legislative gridlock.
In August, Edelstein was replaced by Boaz Bismuth, but this did not produce tangible progress. At the beginning of 2026, the Haredim intensified pressure and threatened to block the budget, later returning to support it after securing financial concessions, including an additional allocation of approximately 800 million shekels for their institutions.
Despite repeated threats, the Haredim ultimately approved the budget, citing wartime necessities, while blaming legal advisers for obstructing legislation.
Security developments in March delayed the crisis once again, but continued legislative stagnation revived discussions about dissolving the Knesset.
Haredi leaders reportedly informed Netanyahu’s office that passing the exemption law had become difficult, prompting them to support the option of elections.
In a notable development, Rabbi Lando formally called for dissolving the Knesset an unprecedented stance against Netanyahu emphasizing a loss of trust in him. Other rabbis have remained silent, amid signs of internal division.
Yesterday, Rabbi Dov Lando urged members of Knesset from Degel HaTorah to move forward with dissolving the parliament.
Following a consultative meeting at his residence with MKs, after the prime minister and his associates informed Haredi representatives that passing the exemption bill in its current form was impossible, Lando said: “We no longer trust Netanyahu.”
In a handwritten letter sent to MKs, he wrote: “We do not trust the prime minister, and we no longer feel we are partners with him. We are not committed to him. From now on, we will do only what we believe is best for the Haredi community, and we believe elections are necessary as soon as possible. There is no longer room to speak about forming a bloc.”
Yedioth Ahronoth noted that these sharp remarks by the Lithuanian leader against Netanyahu particularly given the longstanding alliance between Likud and the Haredi parties over recent decades come amid the silence of Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch, who also serves as the spiritual leader of Degel HaTorah.
The newspaper pointed out that although tensions frequently arise within the Haredi community, major decisions have traditionally been made collectively, through joint letters and coordinated meetings.
It added that Rabbi Hirsch did not participate in yesterday’s discussion, noting that his family previously maintained a better relationship with Netanyahu’s office. Netanyahu reportedly held a lengthy conversation with him, while Rabbi Lando generally refuses to speak with prime ministers or any representatives of Israeli state authority for ideological reasons.
The position of the Shas party remains decisive. It has so far remained silent, despite being the key factor that could determine the coalition’s fate, amid anticipation of its final decision on whether to support the government or move toward early elections.
Maariv reported that Netanyahu stated in closed discussions that the government should not be dissolved, emphasizing that important security matters remain on the agenda and that holding elections before resolving them would be a mistake.
He also said that mandatory conscription legislation cannot be passed because, under current conditions, it does not command the required majority.
According to the report, Netanyahu is currently working to persuade Shas leader Aryeh Deri to support the coalition and oppose dissolving the Knesset, while advancing previously agreed legislation and allowing the government to continue functioning politically and in matters of security.
Haredi journalist Ary Kalman said yesterday on i24NEWS that Netanyahu spoke with Deri and asked him not to support dissolving the Knesset, but that Deri reportedly ignored the request and refused to comply.
