Shas Party Threatens to Vote for Dissolution of Israeli Knesset
The Shas Party declared on Monday that it will vote to dissolve Israel’s parliament amid escalating tensions within Prime Minister benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government, according to webangah News Agency.
Party spokesman Asher Medina told Hebrew radio station Kol Berama: “Under current circumstances, we will vote to dissolve the Knesset on Wednesday.”
Medina expressed dissatisfaction with Netanyahu’s leadership, stating: “We’re disappointed in Netanyahu. We expected him to act much sooner – not just in recent days.”
Shas, a conventional ally of Likud and key pillar of the current coalition, now threatens to create a critical rift among Netanyahu’s supporters. With 11 parliamentary seats,the party holds enough power to potentially collapse the government by reducing coalition seats below the 61-seat majority threshold.
The crisis began last week when ultra-Orthodox parties Shas and united Torah Judaism threatened withdrawal unless legislation exempting yeshiva students from military service passed. Despite reported progress in negotiations over draft exemption laws, these parties continue threatening government dissolution.
Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom reported Haredi parties are preparing coordinated action against netanyahu, whom they now describe as “a burden.” A senior Degel HaTorah official confirmed all Haredi factions are coordinating their voting strategy.
