Israeli Prime Minister Beniamin Netanyahu faces growing tensions within his divided governing coalition after the standoff with Washington over Gaza has aggravated disagreements over proposed military recruitment of ultra-Orthodox Jews.
Israeli media reported that a cabinet meeting to discuss planned changes to the recruitment law had been suspended, with just days left before the government must present the proposal to the Supreme Court.
The delay came after Netanyahu’s strained relations with US President Joe Biden broke down over Washington’s decision not to veto a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Loop.
Amid growing international pressure to cease fighting and halt Israeli plans to launch a ground assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, Netanyahu canceled a planned visit to Washington by two of his most senior advisers. , who had to listen to American ideas about operational alternatives.
The open show of defiance toward Israel’s strongest ally was welcomed by his religious nationalist coalition partners, but implicitly criticized by centrist former Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who joined the war cabinet last year and who said that The delegation was to go to Washington.
Despite Netanyahu’s own plummeting approval ratings, polls indicate that the Israeli public largely supports the government’s determination to dismantle Hamas as a military force in Gaza, giving Netanyahu motivation to dig in against Washington. However, the divisions underscored growing international pressure on the government.
The conservative newspaper Israel Hayom, which normally supports Netanyahu, supports the decision not to send the delegation, but says that Biden’s public support is what Israel needs most at a time when “the legitimacy of its actions is rapidly disintegrating.” terrifying speed.”
Netanyahu’s position remains dependent on holding together his coalition with far-right religious nationalist parties that strongly oppose any truce in the war or any concession to international demands for a broad-based political settlement with the Palestinians.
But the draft law, which could eliminate exemptions preventing ultra-Orthodox Jews from serving in the military, looms as a major obstacle, highlighting a long-standing divide between secular and religious Israelis.
The proposal has sharpened divisions between allies of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who has been pushing for an expansion of conscription laws, and ultra-Orthodox parties in the coalition, who want the exemptions to remain.
