Shas spiritual leader orders support for coalition legislation in exchange for haredi-backed bills

Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, the spiritual leader of the ultra-Orthodox party Shas, has directed party members to support the coalition's contentious legislation. This support is conditional on the advancement of several haredi-backed bills, according to a letter sent to Shas chairman MK Arye Deri.

The directive arrives as the coalition pushes a legislative blitz before the Knesset's summer session concludes and ahead of upcoming elections. The haredi parties had previously stalled coalition votes, arguing their own legislation was not progressing quickly enough. Yosef's letter emphasizes the urgency, stating, "There is no room for delay, and under no circumstances should the passage of the Torah Study Law be put at risk."

Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi had specifically appealed to Yosef to secure Shas lawmakers' support for a controversial communications reform bill. Yosef agreed, but only if ultra-Orthodox bills on the Knesset's agenda also pass. This includes the Basic Law: Torah Study bill, which critics contend enshrines Torah study as a fundamental value and encourages draft evasion. This legislation, along with separate bills potentially freezing arrests of haredi draft evaders, is seen by opponents as exacerbating the IDF's severe manpower crisis.

The haredi parties have consistently advocated for legislation that does not increase haredi enlistment, despite repeated warnings from the IDF about urgent manpower shortages following over two years of war. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously voted in favor of the Torah Study bill during its first reading.