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JERUSALEM 

Israeli Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf resigned on Thursday over the government’s failure to pass a law exempting ultra-Orthodox Jews from military service, the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said.

Goldknopf is a member of the Agudat Yisrael Party, which, together with the Degel HaTorah Party, forms the United Torah Judaism (UTJ) alliance that represents the ultra-Orthodox Jews, or Haredi.

“The premier had been warned that if no progress had been made on legislation exempting yeshiva students from military service by early June, significant steps would be taken against the coalition,” Goldknopf said in a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“The understandings on enlistment reached by Shas and Degel Hatorah do not live up to the promises made by Netanyahu in his coalition agreement with UTJ, and therefore I can no longer take part as a member of this government,” he added.

On Thursday morning, Shas and Degel HaTorah announced that they had reached understandings with Yuli Edelstein, chairman of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and a member of Netanyahu’s Likud Party, regarding the military service of Haredi.

Despite Goldknopf’s resignation, the UTJ remains part of the coalition government, and no immediate comment was issued by Netanyahu.

The Israeli opposition submitted a bill to dissolve the Knesset, but the draft failed to pass by 61-53 votes after Haredi parties withdrew their support.

According to Israeli law, a bill to dissolve the Knesset cannot be reintroduced until six months have passed since its failure in the preliminary reading.

Goldknopf’s resignation comes as ultra-Orthodox communities continue to protest against military service following a June 25, 2024, Supreme Court ruling obliging them to enlist and prohibiting financial support for religious institutions whose students refuse to serve.

Ultra-Orthodox Jews account for about 13% of Israel’s 10 million citizens.

They oppose military service on religious grounds, arguing that studying the Torah is their primary duty and that integration into secular society threatens their religious identity and community cohesion.