Israel’s ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party has quit Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition over a long-running dispute on military conscription.
Six lawmakers submitted their resignations, following party leader Yitzhak Goldknopf’s earlier exit. The move came after UTJ’s Degel HaTorah faction accused the government of failing to uphold promises to exempt yeshiva students from mandatory service, according to Al Jazeera.
Their departure leaves Netanyahu with a slim 61-seat majority in the 120-member Knesset. It’s still unclear if fellow ultra-Orthodox party Shas will also step away.
