Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could see himself booted from power as Knesset faces the first vote to dissolve parliament on Wednesday over frustrations of the protracted war in Gaza.
Israel’s longest-serving prime minister is facing the most serious challenge to his power yet after his government began enforcing the mandatory draft for the ultra-Orthodox community to help fight the war against Hamas.
While the general public had demanded the sect of religious scholars no longer be exempt from fighting, the move caused a rupture in Netanyahu’s far-right coalition, who may turn against the premier and vote to dissolve the Knesset on Wednesday.
The Shahs party, which has traditionally supported Netanyahu, said Monday that they plan to vote in favor of dissolution unless their terms are met.
The Degel HaTorah faction, another group Netanyahu needs to stay in power, has been threatening to leave the government since last week.
“Basically, they don’t really care about the war and the economic situation of the state and anything else but their communal interest, and the focus of this communal interest is getting the exemption from serving in the army” said Shuki Friedman, an expert on religion and state affairs and vice president of the Jewish People Policy Institute, a Jerusalem think tank.
The vote would be one of four needed to bring forward new elections, which polls show Netanyahu would lose given the majority of Israelis no longer back him over the decision to end a cease-fire deal in March and return to all-out war in the Gaza Strip.
The prime minister has also seen his popularity wane over the years-long corruption charges levied against him, as well as his government’s role in the security failings that allowed Hamas to pull off the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack that saw more than 1,200 people killed.
A March poll from the Israel Democracy Institute found that around 70% of Israelis wanted Netanyahu to resign after ending the cease-fire.
Netanyahu, however, can still pull through with a last-minute deal with members of his coalition to survive the vote from the opposition.
Even if he survives the first vote, his coalition is likely to suffer a major blow from the politically connected ultra-Orthodox community, who continue to protest the draft that is interfering with their full-time religious studies and way of life.
If the vote passes, additional elections will be held in the government in the following weeks to move forward to dissolution and holding a new round of elections for prime minister.
If Netanyahu is able to survive, another vote for dissolvement can’t be held for another six months, allowing the prime minister to stay in power until 2026.
With Post wires