Ultra-Orthodox conscription dispute pushes Israeli government to brink
Key takeaways
- Israel’s ultra-Orthodox parties withdrawing support from the coalition has triggered calls for an early vote
- 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;
- “From now on, we will only do what is good for Haredi Judaism and the yeshiva (religious school) world,” the rabbi told his UTJ Knesset members. “We must work to dissolve the Knesset as soon as possible.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Israel’s ultra-Orthodox parties withdrawing support from the coalition has triggered calls for an early vote
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Israeli security forces secure the area during a protest by Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men against pressure to conscript them [Ammar Awad/Reuters]By Simon Speakman Cordall Published On 16 May 202616 May 2026Israel’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.