US ambassador urges Haredi leaders not to back Knesset dissolution

The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, has held talks with leaders of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties in a bid to prevent the dissolution of the Knesset and the collapse of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, according to an Israeli TV channel on Monday evening.

Earlier in the day, the ultra-Orthodox Shas party announced its intention to vote in favour of a preliminary bill to dissolve the Knesset, which is due for a first reading on Wednesday.

Asher Medina, spokesperson for the Shas party, told the press: “At this stage, we will vote on Wednesday to dissolve the Knesset. We are disappointed with Netanyahu.”

Shas, which is part of the ruling coalition, holds 11 seats in the 120-member parliament. The current coalition controls 68 seats and needs at least 61 to remain in power.

The move reflects growing dissatisfaction among ultra-Orthodox factions over Netanyahu’s failure to fulfil a key promise he made before forming the government in late 2022—namely, passing legislation to exempt religious school students from military service.

Opposition parties, including Yesh Atid headed by Yair Lapid and Yisrael Beiteinu led by Avigdor Lieberman, had already declared last Wednesday that they would submit draft bills this week calling for the dissolution of the Knesset.

The current Israeli government was formed in late 2022 and is meant to serve until the end of 2026, unless early elections are called.