(15 Jul 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jerusalem – 15 July 2025
1. Various of Ultra-Orthodox residents of Jerusalem walking near alley
2. Various of paper on wall reading (Hebrew) “Against the proposed draft law”
3. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew) Gefneil Tzvi Hirsch, Jerusalem resident:
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"Those who don’t join the government and fight it from the outside are successful. From the inside, it’s impossible to succeed even though it appears so but this is the reality. And that is why we are happy. We regret that they joined the government to begin with, they acted without any thought. At least now they left (the government)."
4. Ultra-Orthodox men at bookstore
5. Close up of books
6. Ultra-Orthodox residents walking in street
7. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew) Haim Katz, Jerusalem resident:
"They want to recruit us in the army and to destroy us. And thank God, we welcome them (ultra-Orthodox members of Knesset that resigned the government) that they’ve returned to us. They made the best move they could’ve done. And I wish the state of Israel will fall."
8. People walking
STORYLINE:
An Israeli ultra-Orthodox party that has been a key governing partner of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday it was leaving the coalition government, threatening to destabilize the Israeli leader’s rule at a pivotal time in the war in Gaza.
United Torah Judaism said they were bolting the government over disagreements surrounding a bill that would codify broad military draft exemptions for their constituents, many of whom study Jewish texts instead of enlisting to the military.
Speaking in a Ultra-Orthodox neighbourhood in Jerusalem, resident Haim Katz welcomed the resignation of ultra-Orthodox members of Knesset, adding that "they’ve returned to us. They made the best move they could’ve done. And I wish the state of Israel will fall."
The issue has long divided Jewish Israelis, most of whom are required to enlist, a rift that has only widened since the war in Gaza began and demands on military manpower grew.
Netanyahu, Israel’s longest serving leader, has long relied on the ultra-Orthodox parties to prop up his governments.
Without UTJ, his coalition holds just 61 out of parliament’s 120 seats. That means Netanyahu will be more susceptible to pressure from other elements within his government, especially far-right parties who strongly oppose ending the war in Gaza.
The political shake up isn’t likely to completely derail ceasefire talks, but it could complicate how flexible Netanyahu can be in his concessions to Hamas.
A second ultra-Orthodox party is also considering bolting the government over the draft issue. That would give Netanyahu a minority in parliament and make governing almost impossible.
The political shake-up comes as Israel and Hamas are discussing the terms of a truce for the 21-month war in Gaza.
Despite heavy pressure by the U.S., Israel’s top ally, and mediators Egypt and Qatar, there is no breakthrough yet in the talks.
Hamas wants a permanent end to the war as part of any ceasefire deal. Netanyahu’s hard-line partners are open to a temporary truce, but say the war cannot end until Hamas is destroyed.
United Torah Judaism’s departure has a window of 48 hours before becoming official, meaning Netanyahu can still find ways to satisfy the party and bring it back into the coalition.
Shuki Friedman, vice president of the Jewish People Policy Institute, said the gaps between the draft law currently on the table and the demands of the party are still wide, making a compromise unlikely during that time.
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