Arabic version: الحكومة الإسرائيلية تدعو إلى انتخابات مبكرة بسبب نزاع تجنيد المتدينين المتشددين

Israel’s ruling coalition has submitted a call for an early election following continued fractures from government allies over the issue of ultra-Orthodox conscription. If the vote passes in the Knesset next week, as expected, then a general election will be held within 90 days of its passage – projected for the third week of August; two months before the mandated end of the government’s current term on October 27.

Ultra-Orthodox parties, which were a key component in the 2022 far-right coalition government, have made the exemption of their constituents from the draft – which almost all Israeli adults are eligible for – a pillar of their political campaigning in recent years. A crisis began in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in July 2025, when the ultra-Orthodox parties Shas and United Torah Judaism (UTJ) pulled their support from the coalition unless a bill was passed exempting constituents from the draft. Recently, one of UTJ’s factions, led by Rabbi Dov Lando, has demanded the collapse of the government, with the party’s spiritual leader saying he had finally lost faith in Netanyahu.

According to Al Jazeera, the ultra-Orthodox community’s refusal to serve in the military is rooted in their religious beliefs, which prioritize full-time Torah study. This exemption has faced legal challenges, with the Israeli High Court ruling it illegal in 1998 and again in 2024, mandating the government to actively conscript ultra-Orthodox men. Despite this, compliance remains low, with only about 1,200 ultra-Orthodox recruits responding to the roughly 24,000 draft notices issued.

Public sentiment largely favors conscripting ultra-Orthodox men, with polls indicating that around four-fifths of Israelis support such measures. Opposition leaders Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett have been vocal against the exemption policy, pledging to impose sanctions on those who refuse military service. Israel’s Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, has emphasized the urgent need for additional recruits to sustain military operations, stating that the current burden on regular and reserve forces is unsustainable.