The rebbes of Israel’s major Hasidic sects, who comprise the Council of Torah Sages of Agudat Yisrael, called Thursday night for the immediate dissolution of the Knesset, escalating the political crisis over the military draft exemption for ultra-Orthodox men.
In a rare gathering at the village of Ora near Jerusalem, the council unanimously declared: “We will not be part of a government that takes part in persecuting the Torah world,” and instructed Agudat Yisrael’s four Knesset members to submit a bill to dissolve parliament.
The declaration comes amid growing tensions in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition, which has faced internal divisions over efforts to formalize exemptions for ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students from mandatory military service. The council’s statement signals a hardening stance by United Torah Judaism, the ultra-Orthodox party that includes Agudat Yisrael.
The council represents Knesset members Yitzhak Goldknopf, Yisrael Eichler, Nussi Roth, and Yaakov Tessler. Its emergency meeting took place as Netanyahu met with Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chair Yuli Edelstein and former minister Ariel Atias, who represents the Shas party in coalition negotiations.
Netanyahu has been trying to prevent the collapse of his government by mediating between demands for immediate enforcement of military draft penalties, led by Edelstein, and the objections of his ultra-Orthodox partners. Shas has so far failed to convene its own Council of Torah Sages, but Atias has met with individual members, who urged him to pursue legislation acceptable to the Haredi community or to support a move to dissolve the Knesset.
Separately, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara announced that the Israel Defense Forces will issue more than 50,000 draft orders to yeshiva students starting in July. The military is expected to present an enforcement plan targeting draft evaders, including shortening the time between issuing draft notices and officially designating someone as a defaulter. The move could significantly increase the number of ultra-Orthodox men classified as draft dodgers.
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Despite the growing pressure, Netanyahu’s office signaled optimism. A political source told Ynet that the prime minister has explored a possible deal with ultra-Orthodox factions: an agreement not to dissolve the Knesset before the end of the current legislative session, in exchange for removing Edelstein from his committee role.
However, Haredi leaders reportedly dismissed the offer, saying, “Removing Edelstein won’t help us — the problem is the law, not the person.”
A senior Haredi minister told Ynet that recent meetings appeared aimed more at sidelining Edelstein than solving the core dispute. “This is Bibi’s way,” the minister said. “When he was threatened over the trapped profits issue, he fired Galant. Now they’re threatening to dissolve the Knesset, so he’ll probably fire Yuli tonight. But the real solution won’t come — so the Knesset needs to be dissolved.”