Shas announced Thursday that it will withdraw from all coalition positions in the Knesset, in a protest against Prime Minister Netanyahu’s failure to advance legislation regulating military exemptions for yeshivaleit.

The move — ordered by the Moetzes Chachmei Hatorah — will see Shas lawmakers relinquish their committee chairmanships and senior posts but stop short of leaving the coalition entirely, a signal that the party intends to escalate pressure without toppling the government.

“In accordance with the directive of the Moetzes… the government must bring to a vote the law to regulate the status of yeshiva students no later than the opening of the winter session,” the party said in a statement. “Since this has not been implemented, Shas announces its withdrawal from its coalition roles in the Knesset.”

Shas MKs Yossi Taib and Yoni Meshriki will vacate their positions on the Education and Health Committees, while MK Michael Malkieli will resign as chair of the Special Committee for Bridging Social Gaps in the Periphery.

While the move is largely symbolic, it represents a sharp rebuke to Netanyahu’s handling of one of his most volatile political crises — balancing coalition unity with growing demands from Israel’s military and judiciary to end decades of blanket exemptions for Chareidim.

“For the time being, Shas will act in full coordination with the Chareidi factions and will continuously consult with the Moetzes Chachmei Hatorah regarding its position on votes in the Knesset plenum,” the party said, hinting that it may continue its ongoing boycott of coalition legislation.

Shas leaders said they would “continue to lead the struggle against the political and cruel persecution campaign directed against students of the yeshivas, who study Torah day and night for the sake of all Israel and for the success of the soldiers.”

“When the status of yeshiva students is resolved,” the statement added, “Shas will return to its positions in the government and the Knesset.”

The dispute stems from the High Court’s 2023 ruling that the government must end long-standing blanket exemptions for full-time yeshiva students, calling the policy unconstitutional. Around 80,000 Chareidi men aged 18 to 24 are currently eligible for service but have not enlisted.

The IDF, stretched thin by the war against Hamas in Gaza and ongoing security operations elsewhere, says it urgently needs an additional 12,000 recruits to sustain the force.

For over a year, Chareidi parties have pressed Netanyahu to pass a new draft law enshrining exemptions in legislation. But repeated delays and infighting within the coalition have left the measure stalled and risked alienating Shas’s rabbinic leadership.

The current proposal, drafted by Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Boaz Bismuth (Likud), would gradually increase Chareidi enlistment over five years to 50 percent of the annual draft cohort, while maintaining an exemption age of 26.

Funding for yeshivas would be reduced only if institutions fail to meet quotas for two consecutive years, and individual sanctions would be delayed and limited — far short of the stricter penalties pushed by secular lawmakers.

Shas’s decision comes just days after Bismuth delayed committee deliberations on the draft bill, citing the need for additional legal review. He has pledged to present a revised draft next week and bring it to the Knesset for final readings in December.

In a sign of political maneuvering, Netanyahu’s Likud Party on Wednesday ousted former speaker Yuli Edelstein from the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee — a move widely seen as an attempt to consolidate support for Bismuth’s legislation and pave the way for Shas’s eventual return.

Shas’s protest mirrors its temporary exit from the government last summer, when it joined United Torah Judaism in walking out over increased enforcement against draft dodgers. While UTJ has yet to return, Shas had been expected to resume its Knesset roles before Thursday’s announcement.

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