Israel PM Netanyahu’s fate in the balance as another party quits government
A row over mandatory military service for ultra-Orthodox men has left the prime minister’s ruling coalition with a razor-thin majority
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has lost another coalition partner amid an ongoing row over mandatory military service for ultra-Orthodox men, with the Shas party reportedly quitting the government on Wednesday.
The ultra-Orthodox party said it was giving up all its posts in government, Israeli media reported.
However, Shas is not joining the opposition, the party stressed.
It was initially unclear what this meant for Netanyahu’s majority in parliament. Opposition leader Yair Lapid claimed that Israel was being led by a minority government following Shas’ withdrawal, while some outlets also reported that Netanyahu’s government had lost its majority in parliament.
However, the ynet news website wrote that Shas would not completely break away from the government factions in parliament, meaning Netanyahu’s governing alliance would be able to cling on to a razor-thin majority of 61 seats in the 120-seat parliament.
Seven ministers and deputy ministers of the Shas party are reportedly set to resign, including Interior Minister Moshe Arbel and Health Minister Uriel Buso.