Netanyahu Moves to Dissolve Knesset, Leaving Charedi Parties Empty-Handed

Senior figures in Shas and United Torah Judaism were stunned to learn that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is preparing to dissolve the Knesset without passing any of the legislation demanded by the Charedi parties.

The proposed dissolution could come as early as this week, leaving the Charedi factions without the daycare law, the temporary measure intended to halt arrests of yeshiva students, or the Basic Law on Torah Study.

Some senior Charedi officials openly admitted that their political strategy had failed.

“We failed at everything,” one official said. “We have nothing to show our voters.”

After Netanyahu announced last week that the daycare law would not pass because of coalition rebels, Shas officials hoped he would at least allow the legislation promoted by Aryeh Deri to halt arrests of yeshiva students, as well as the Basic Law on Torah Study, to advance.

But Charedi officials said they discovered Saturday night that Netanyahu was already preparing for an immediate Knesset dissolution without passing any of the bills.

“We no longer have anything to threaten him with,” one senior Charedi figure said. “From the moment United Torah Judaism agreed to elections on October 20, as Netanyahu demanded, we were left with no leverage. We ended up with nothing, and now he is the one deciding when to dissolve the Knesset.”

Another official used even harsher language.

“We failed at everything. We have nothing to present to our voters,” he said. “Even in the final effort, we failed. What will we bring to the election? Netanyahu played with us again and again, and we followed him like a blind goat.”

Netanyahu’s decision not to advance the daycare law had already triggered anger among Charedi MKs, who viewed it as a violation of coalition commitments.

Degel HaTorah chairman Moshe Gafni announced that the faction’s two representatives on the Knesset Finance Committee would vote against all budget transfers.

Degel HaTorah said Netanyahu and Likud had explicitly committed to passing the daycare law and warned that the party would not accept any delay or retreat.

Agudath Israel said failure to pass the law would amount to Netanyahu admitting that he had decided to dissolve the Knesset and head to elections.

According to a report by Amit Segal, senior coalition figures are now pressing Netanyahu to dissolve the Knesset this week. Their message is that continued delays will only allow the Charedi legislation to become a political burden for him.

Netanyahu has not yet made a final decision on the exact timing. But within the Charedi parties, the prevailing belief is that the Knesset will be dissolved before any of the laws promised to them are passed.