Shas

Knesset advances bill granting Chief Rabbinate authority over Western Wall prayer

The bill passed by a margin of 56-47 and will now be discussed in Knesset committee meetings. It will still need to undergo three more plenum readings to become a law. 

A Jewish woman prays at the Little Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City, February 18, 2026
THE RABBINICAL Court’s Division for Agunot in Jerusalem.

Knesset panel advances bill to expand rabbinical courts’ power over civil matters

 HAREDI YESHIVA students

High Court: Israeli gov't must explain why it funds haredi schools without core studies

Minister of Immigration and Absorption Ofir Sofer holds a press conference at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, December 1, 2025.

Haredi draft bill could trigger 'collapse' of Israel's Right in elections, aliyah minister warns


Bismuth elected FADC head, ousting Edelstein over haredi draft bill

Edelstein, prior to the vote, published for the first time the draft of the conscription law, which was sent to committee members. 

MK Boaz Bismuth attends a Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem July 8, 2025

Netanyahu temporarily appoints Levin and Katz to key ministries amid haredi resignations

The fact that the ministries were given to just Levin and Katz indicated that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intends to “safeguard” them for the eventual possibility of Shas’s return.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu with Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Minister of Tourism Haim Katz during a discussion and a vote in the assembly hall of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on February 22, 2023.

Bismuth elected new Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee head

Netanyahu announced that MK Hanoch Milwidsky will become ‘temporary’ Finance Committee head.

MK Boaz Bismuth attends a Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem July 8, 2025

Netanyahu's Likud to remove Edelstein from key committee over haredi draft fallout

A replacement for Edelstein on the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee may be willing to make concessions that Edelstein was not willing to make, thus allowing the bill to proceed.

 Benjamin Netanyahu and Yuli Edelstein seen at the Knesset on November 4, 2021

Yuli Edelstein stands on principle for crafting conscription law for haredi population - editorial

Yosef’s words reveal the ugly truth behind the ultra-Orthodox parties’ opposition to military service: Is it actually about Torah study or religious obligation?

 Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee MK Yuli Edelstein speaks at the Muni Expo 2025 conference in Tel Aviv, on July 15, 2025.

Will the Knesset recess open a window for a deal? Netanyahu’s political breathing room - analysis

The Knesset's upcoming recess will potentially give PM Benjamin Netanyahu time to broker a hostage deal and figure out a solution to the issue of the haredi draft law.

 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir at a Knesset debate, July 14, 2025; illustrative.

National healing begins with a much needed change in politics - editorial

We may be naive, but at the same time truly believe that there is a small and important opportunity for change.

Even as Shas followed United Torah Judaism’s lead and declared on Wednesday it was leaving the government, it did so with a major caveat: ‘We are leaving the government, but we are not quitting the coalition.’ Here, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sits alongside Shas chairman Arye Deri in 2023.

‘Read my lips this gov't will not fall’: Israeli coalition faces crisis over haredi draft law

As Israel’s ruling coalition fractures over the Haredi Draft bill, religious parties threaten to quit, and pressure mounts from reservists, the government clings to a narrow majority.

 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seen speaking at the Knesset.

Reality check: Ultra-Orthodox rabbis are leading their flock to a historic dead end - opinion

MIDDLE ISRAEL: In their wartime conduct, the ultra-orthodox rabbis show a lack of commitment and a real disconnection with reality.

 "We are at war. Join it! Fully, immediately, to the last of you, like everyone else," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not tell Shas leader Arye Deri.

Israel's post-holiday politics: Will Netanyahu take a political hit to keep coalition intact?

NATIONAL AFFAIRS: With Shas out of the government, Netanyahu faces a decision between taking a hit to maintain the coalition or preparing for the upcoming elections.

Even as Shas followed United Torah Judaism’s lead and declared on Wednesday it was leaving the government, it did so with a major caveat: ‘We are leaving the government, but we are not quitting the coalition.’ Here, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sits alongside Shas chairman Arye Deri in 2023.