Israel: The pro-Orthodox parties have found themselves outside the new governing coalition

At the heart of power in Israel for years, thanks to their support for former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, supra-orthodox they are suddenly in the seats of the opposition and are worried that the government of “change” will sideline them. In the Israel, the only state in the world where the majority of the population is Jewish, the position of religion in politics and wider public life is a deep dividing line between secular, orthodox Jews and supra-orthodox.

Following the March parliamentary elections, in which they gathered 16 seats in a total of 120 in the Knesset, the two pro-orthodox parties believed they would be back in a coalition government under Netanyahu, as has been the case for almost 12 years. But this time his support Shass (σεφαραδίτες) and its United Judaism Torah was not enough for Netanyahu to gather the 61 deputies needed to form a government.

Consequently, The mandate passed to the center-right Jair Lapid, who formed a governing coalition of various parties from the right and left. His ally, the leader of the nationalist right, Naftali Bennett, took over as prime minister on Sunday. Not wanting to join this heterogeneous coalition, the only common denominator of which was the desire of the parties to oust him from power Netanyahu, the ultra-orthodox have been ousted and are denouncing a cabinet that is “against the Jewish authorities”.

“The Bennett government is throwing away everything that is important to the Jewish people,” said Arie Derry, Shass’s chief minister and former interior minister. “The orthodox deputies will not teach us what Judaism is,” Bennett, who is also an Orthodox Jew, immediately replied, “but not Haredi.”

“Parliamentary war”

The pro-Orthodox parties will lose their influence over the distribution of social benefits, at a time when their institutions “survive only because of them,” notes Ilan Grilsamer, a professor of political science at Bar Ilan University in Tel Aviv. The Kharedim, the ultra-Orthodox Jews who make up 12% of the Israeli population, most of whom do not work but study in Talmudic schools, are heavily dependent on state benefits.

But now they will lose a key position, that of the parliamentary Finance Committee, which was chaired for years by a member of the United Torah Judaism, explains Grylsamer. The new Minister of Finance is Avigdor Lieberman, leader of the secular nationalist right, which is opposed to the influence of the ultra-Orthodox in power. For their part, they are concerned that other currents of Judaism may begin to engage in religious issues, mainly those of the Haradim.

In the eyes of the ultra-Orthodox o Israel’s new Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is a “reformer”, a very serious insult to them. In his program, issues related to the religion-state relationship are not a priority, although he refers to “strengthening the Jewish identity”. “We will start a parliamentary war against this coalition that endangers the state’s Jewish identity,” warned Yossi Tayeb, a former Shass MP and rabbi.

“Terrified”

Bennett is widely accused of backing bills that would lift the exemption offered by military service to ultra-Orthodox Jews, especially Talmudic school students, or allow transportation to operate on the Saturday holiday. Ultra-Orthodox Jews also fear the Bennett-Lapid government will change the so-called status quo policy, which has been in force since 1948 when Israel was founded, and provides for the strict application of the principles of Judaism in public life , prohibition of civil marriages…).

The ultra-Orthodox “are terrified of this new government, of what is happening now, it is catastrophic,” explains Peggy Sidor, a Jerusalem Post journalist who specializes in the world of haredim. “They will go through a deep crisis.” One of the first conflicts between the government and the pro-Orthodox may break out is with the establishment of a commission of inquiry. for trampling on Mount Meron in northern Israel, where 45 people, mostly pro-Orthodox, were killed in late April during a pilgrimage. The Netanyahu government had failed to set up a committee due to opposition from the ultra-Orthodox, who fear they could be blamed for the tragedy.