Shas chairman Aryeh Deri and Degel HaTorah chairman MK Moshe Gafni warned Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Tuesday that they will support dissolving the Knesset as early as next week unless the coalition immediately advances legislation protecting yeshiva bochurim from arrest and enshrining Torah study in a Basic Law.

Following a meeting with Netanyahu, the two Chareidi parties issued a joint statement saying they had conveyed an “unequivocal demand” on behalf of Gedolei Yisroel to immediately advance the Basic Law: Torah Study and legislation preventing the arrest of bnei yeshiva by convening both the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and the House Committee this week.

“We made it clear that if we do not see practical actions as we demanded, we will support dissolving the Knesset as early as next week,” the statement said.

According to the parties, Netanyahu responded by reaffirming his commitment to passing both pieces of legislation and pledged to work toward their rapid advancement.

The statement notably omitted any reference to the so-called Daycare Law, which would restore daycare subsidies for the children of yeshiva students subject to the draft, suggesting the Chareidi parties are currently focusing their efforts on the two core pieces of legislation.

Reports that the meeting also produced a broader political agreement were quickly denied.

In a follow-up statement, Shas and United Torah Judaism rejected claims that they had agreed to support coalition-backed legislation in exchange for progress on their agenda.

“Contrary to reports, there is no ‘deal’ with Prime Minister Netanyahu,” the parties said. “Our demand to advance the Basic Law: Torah Study and the law preventing the arrest of Torah scholars stands on its own, is not contingent on anything, and we have not given up on any demand.”

The parties added that only if they see tangible progress on the legislation “will we be able to resume voting in favor of coalition legislation, in accordance with the instructions of the Torah sages.”

The confrontation marks one of the most serious coalition crises since the current government was formed and raises the possibility of early elections if the dispute is not resolved.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)