Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is moving closer to elections after working to bring the Chareidi parties back into the right-wing bloc. But senior Chareidi officials now say Netanyahu has been weakened by tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump and is too distracted to deliver on their legislative demands.

The Knesset dissolution bill has already passed its first reading, though it still requires final approval before elections are formally called. October 20 has emerged as Netanyahu’s preferred election date, giving him time to reunite the bloc and prevent the Chareidi parties from reopening questions about their political alliance with Likud.

At the same time, the Chareidi parties appear to be heading toward elections without major achievements. Their demands included Basic Law: Torah Study, daycare subsidies for families of those learning in yeshiva, and a bill to stop arrests of Chareidi yeshiva bochurs who have not reported for military draft procedures. But coalition officials have said the daycare bill does not have a majority, and the Knesset may be dissolved without passing the arrest bill.

Senior Chareidi officials quoted by B’Chadrei Haredim/Kol Barama said Netanyahu has “lost his self-confidence” because of the crisis with Trump. They claimed he is focused almost entirely on preventing Trump from forcing Israel into a withdrawal from southern Lebanon, where Israel says it must maintain a security zone as long as threats from Hezbollah remain.

The officials also sharply criticized Netanyahu’s office, calling it “broken apart” and saying the people around him are not suited for their roles. Still, the Chareidi parties face a familiar problem: anger at Netanyahu is growing, but they have no clear political alternative outside the right-wing bloc.