Jerusalem: A religious party has quit Israel's governing coalition in a dispute over military service, leaving PM Benjamin Netanyahu with a razor-thin majority in parliament but still enough political support to secure a potential Gaza ceasefire.
Six members of United Torah Judaism (UTJ) handed in resignation letters overnight from posts in parliamentary committees and ministries, in protest against lawmakers' failure to guarantee future exemption from military conscription for ultraOrthodox religious students.
Shas, a second ultra-Orthodox party closely allied with UTJ, may follow and leave govt with no parliament majority.
The lawmakers said their walkout would come into effect after 48 hours, giving Netanyahu two days to resolve the crisis which has dogged his coalition for months. Even if that fails, parliament goes on summer break at the end of July, which would give the PM a further three months to seek a solution.
Netanyahu is also facing pressure from far-right parties over truce talks. National security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and finance minister Bezalel Smotrich want Israel to press on with the war, but Netanyahu would still be likely to have enough cabinet votes to secure a ceasefire without them.
Reuters