Israeli Coalition Faces Collapse Over Ultra-Orthodox Military Draft Dispute

On May 12, 2026, Israel's governing coalition teetered on collapse after the ultra-Orthodox party Degel HaTorah said it no longer trusted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and called to dissolve the Knesset.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told ultra-Orthodox leaders he would not advance a pre-election law exempting many yeshiva students from mandatory military service and said he would revisit the issue after elections. NPR reported the dispute over drafting ultra-Orthodox Israelis had pushed the government to the brink of collapse.^[1]

Israel's Supreme Court ordered the government last year to begin drafting ultra-Orthodox Israelis, and that ruling has deepened fault lines in the coalition during the Gaza war. On May 12, Degel HaTorah said it had "no trust in Netanyahu anymore" and formally called to dissolve the Knesset, triggering a planned dissolution vote next week that would set national elections in roughly three months.

The outcome will reshape the immediate political map. Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is polling as a front-runner on a joint ticket with opposition leader Yair Lapid to challenge Netanyahu, and a successful dissolution would start a campaign that must meet legal deadlines extending through October 27, 2026. NPR noted the collapse would force rapid decisions on both conscription policy and the government's focus during the ongoing security crisis.^[1]

1. NPR