Housing and Construction Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf resigned from his ministerial role on Thursday after his ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party failed to unify behind a push to protect Haredi men from mandatory military conscription.
Goldknopf will retain his seat in the Knesset, while the ministry is expected to be reassigned to another ultra-Orthodox lawmaker.
Goldknopf, representing the Gur Hasidic dynasty—considered the largest and wealthiest of the Hasidic sects—had demanded that all Haredi lawmakers support a bill to dissolve the Knesset and trigger early elections. His call stemmed from frustration that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had not followed through on a commitment to pass legislation securing sweeping draft exemptions for Haredi men.
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While Goldknopf initially garnered support from other ultra-Orthodox factions, his push ultimately collapsed when even members of his own UTJ bloc opposed forcing elections. They argued that such a move could provoke broader public backlash against the Haredi community, which largely avoids military service, and potentially lead to the formation of a less favorable coalition.
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Haredi lawmakers Yitzhak Pindrus (r) and Yoel Ya'akov Tessler
(Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)
The ultra-Orthodox sector in Israel is politically represented by the Ashkenazi-led United Torah Judaism and the Sephardic Shas party. Both have long advocated for preserving the status quo that allows most Haredi men to defer or avoid military service in favor of full-time religious study.
Netanyahu had pledged to deliver legislation that would enable continued exemptions without imposing personal or financial penalties on Haredi men. However, the coalition has faced growing pressure from the public and legal challenges from the Supreme Court demanding a more equitable draft framework.