Israel’s chareidi parties are expected to support a preliminary vote this week to dissolve the Knesset, as the political crisis surrounding the draft law deepens and tensions within the coalition continue to intensify.

Unless dramatic last-minute developments emerge, the Knesset is expected to approve the bill to dissolve parliament in its initial reading, potentially paving the way for elections in 2026.

Over the weekend, representatives of the chareidi factions made clear that they are unwilling to delay the push for new elections, saying that they no longer trust Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu’s promises that a draft law can still be passed during the current summer session.

Shas chairman Aryeh Deri sharply criticized coalition partners during conversations with party lawmakers, accusing senior figures in Likud and the Religious Zionist Party of violating agreements and failing to honor commitments made to the chareidi parties.

“We invested enormous efforts to pass the law. Shas demonstrated loyal partnership to the coalition, but figures among the coalition leadership and members of Knesset from Likud and the Religious Zionist Party did not act in the same manner and blatantly violated the promises and agreements they signed.”

Deri continued his criticism, saying the coalition failed to deliver what he described as the most basic and essential piece of legislation for the chareidi public.

“In the end, the coalition did not provide the most basic and important law for us. This is disgraceful and irresponsible conduct that cannot be accepted.”

According to Deri, once it became clear that the draft law would not pass in the current Knesset, the only remaining course of action was to move toward elections in accordance with the directive of the Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah of Shas.

“Once it became clear that the law would not pass in the current Knesset,” Deri told party lawmakers, “in accordance with the decision of the Council of Torah Sages, we have no choice but to bring about the dissolution of the Knesset and new elections as quickly as possible.”

Unlike Degel HaTorah, which publicly declared this past week that it no longer considers itself aligned with Netanyahu’s political bloc, Shas has so far refrained from making such a formal announcement.

Still, Shas spokesman Asher Medina appeared to indirectly criticize Degel HaTorah’s approach, warning against believing that a left-wing government would offer more favorable treatment to the chareidi community.

“Anyone who thinks a left-wing government will give us everything is living in fantasies. The only common denominator among that collection of figures is hatred of chareidim.”

The differing approaches between the two chareidi factions became especially noticeable following the dramatic handwritten letter released by Slabdoka Rosh Yeshiva Rav Dov Lando instructing Degel HaTorah lawmakers to actively work toward dissolving the Knesset as soon as possible.

In the letter, Rav Landau stated that from this point forward, the only consideration guiding Degel HaTorah would be “what is good for chareidi Judaism,” without obligation to previous political alliances.

In particularly sharp language, Rav Lando declared that “the concept of a bloc no longer exists.”

{Matzav.com}