Israel
Shas threatens to vote down state budget unless Charedi draft bill passed first
Netanyahu’s coalition has until March 31 to reach a compromise with its Charedi partner or face being forced into fresh elections
January 5, 2026 13:44
Netanyahu’s coalition has until March 31 to reach a compromise with its Charedi partner or face being forced into fresh elections
January 5, 2026 13:44Shas, one of the parties in Prime Minister Netanyahu’s governing coalition, has announced it will refuse to back the government's upcoming state budget unless an acceptable version of the Charedi draft bill is passed before the vote.
The past year has dominated by rows over the prospective legislation, including two narrowly averted governmental collapses.
But, with only a slim government majority in the Knesset, Shas' intent to vote against the budget is effectively a threat to bring down the coalition and force fresh elections.
A heavily watered-down version of the draft bill, which would see only yeshiva graduates conscripted rather than full-time students and contains weakened sanctions against draft dodgers, is currently working its way through the Knesset Defence Committee.
United Torah Judaism (UTJ), the other major Charedi party, already quit the coalition amid the row over the bill in July, leaving the prime minister with a working majority of just one MK.
And Rabbi Dov Lando, the spiritual leader of UTJ’s Degel HaTorah faction, has now weighed in again to criticise ministers over the detention of yeshiva students who refused to obey conscription orders.
"When a yeshiva student is placed in prison solely because he wishes to study Torah, it is not he who is in prison! The Torah itself, God forbid, is in prison,” he said.
"Let everyone who is complicit in this crime of casting the holy Torah, the Torah of God, behind bars know this: you are not fighting flesh and blood; you are fighting the Torah and the one who gave it, blessed be his name.
"Regrettably, we find ourselves in exile among Jews, and we all pray that God will help us, that he will soon redeem us from this exile and that we will study Torah in peace and security.”
Unless a compromise can be found with Shas, the government has only a few months to get the bill passed - against stiff opposition - before the March 31 budget deadline.
The next set of Israeli elections are required to take place by October, with Hebrew media reporting the coalition is eyeing up this May for a potential polling date.
The latest row comes after a renewed round of Charedi street protests against the IDF on Sunday as the military hosted its annual recruitment drive.
One demonstrator drew direct comparisons with the Holocaust, telling the Kan public broadcaster: “Recruitment offices are like extermination ovens to us.”
Clashes unfolded between police and young Charedi men as an unauthorised demonstration blocked access to the Kiryat Ono recruitment office and Tel Hashomer military base.
Nonetheless, the weekend saw one of the largest single days of Charedi recruitment in recent years, with over 200 active combat soldiers 140 combat support personnel signed up, according to Brigadier General Shai Tayeb, the IDF’s personnel planning chief.
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