Agudah Moetzes supports new elections

The Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah, the high deciding spiritual body for the Agudat Israel party, decided to instruct the party to move to new elections today (Thursday), saying that they cannot sit with a government which "persecutes" the Torah world.

This is the latest development in an increasingly escalating crisis for Prime Minister Netanyahu's coalition, which has run aground over the question of drafting Haredim into the army. Haredi parties have been unequivocal in their demand that all 80,000 formal yeshivah students be entirely exempted from the army, while many in the Likud party, especially those like MK Yuli Edelstein, Chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, insist that large numbers of Haredim be drafted, including on pain of serious legal sanctions.

Prime Minister Netanyahu has attempted to reconcile between the factions in the past few days with close meetings, but thus far without any real results. Multiple opposition parties stated their intention to submit proposals to disperse the Knesset next Wednesday, so Netanyahu has until then to resolve the matter.