Netanyahu coalition faces early elections over draft exemptions dispute

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition has begun to unravel, setting the country on a path to early elections this fall. The immediate cause is a bitter, long-simmering dispute over military service exemptions for ultra-Orthodox Jewish men.

A preliminary vote to dissolve parliament took place this week, initiating a process that could move national elections from October to September. The crisis was triggered when two major ultra-Orthodox parties withdrew their support from Netanyahu’s coalition after he told them he could not secure passage of a bill to legally enshrine their longstanding exemptions from the draft. Their departure left his government without a parliamentary majority.

The issue of conscription has gained intense urgency following the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent wars. With fighting ongoing in multiple theaters and heavy reliance on reservists, public resentment has grown over a system that allows thousands of ultra-Orthodox men to avoid mandatory service while receiving government stipends for full-time religious study. This anger has spread to segments of Netanyahu’s own political base.