An ultra-Orthodox Jewish party that has been part of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government said on July 15 that it is leaving the coalition over a controversial military conscription bill.
Six members of the United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party, which includes the Degel HaTorah and Agudat Yisrael factions, resigned on Tuesday, with their departures set to take effect within 48 hours. The party’s chairman, Yitzhak Goldknopf, resigned in June.
The Degel HaTorah faction said in a statement that “following repeated violations by the government to its commitments to ensure the status of holy yeshiva students who diligently engage in their studies ... [its Members of the Knesset] have announced their resignation from the coalition and the government.”
Ultra-Orthodox parties have argued that a bill exempting yeshiva students from mandatory military service was a key promise in their agreement to join the coalition in late 2022. The resignations will leave the Israeli leader with a slim majority of just one seat, holding 61 out of 120 in the Knesset.
A two-day window between the party’s announcement and the resignations becoming official means Netanyahu could still reach an agreement with UTJ.
Shuki Friedman, vice president of the Jewish People Policy Institute, a Jerusalem-based think tank, said there was not enough common ground in the bill as it stands for progress to be made within that time frame, therefore making an immediate compromise unlikely.
Netanyahu has the Knesset’s long summer recess—which starts in late July and lasts until October—in which to rebuild the alliance if attempts to reach a compromise fail over the next 48 hours.
Cabinet Minister Miki Zohar, from Netanyahu’s Likud party, said he was hopeful UTJ would return.
“God willing, everything will be fine,” he said.
No single party in Israel has ever won an outright majority, so governments are formed through coalitions, with parties negotiating over competing policies and priorities.
Supreme Court Ruling
Most Jewish Israeli men and women are required to serve in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) beginning at age 18, with men serving 32 months and women 24 months. Men can be called up for reserve duty until about age 40.Demand for military manpower has grown since the start of the Hamas–Israel war in the Gaza Strip following the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack.
“As of 22 June 2025, 50 hostages are still being held in captivity in Gaza. Of these, 49 were abducted on October 7 and one hostage (Hadar Goldin) has been held in Gaza since 2014,” the ministry said on its website.
The United States is seeking to broker a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas.
