UTJ the Chareidie Party Threatens To Topple Netanyahu Government Unless 1 Billion NIS Is Given To Yeshivos

We are at war, husbands, sons have just been called up again to do reserve duty as the Gaza war resumes, but the out-of-touch, disconnected Chareidim don't care about the rest of the Israeli population all they want to know is "how much money are we getting?"

In a way I'm hoping for a lefty government and then we will see how much they will get!

Housing Minister Yitzchak Goldknopf, leader of the Charedi United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party, has issued a stark ultimatum to the government, threatening to oppose the 2025 state budget unless it includes more than a billion shekels in coalition funding for Charedi yeshivos. His opposition would jeopardize the budget’s passage, potentially triggering early elections.

This marks Goldknopf’s second threat to the coalition’s stability in less than a week and is the latest in a series of ultimatums from Charedi parties that have, so far, failed to materialize into action.

In a letter to Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs, first published by Ynet, Goldknopf complained that despite assurances from Prime Minister Netanyahu and Finance Minister Smotrich regarding the funds, they were not included in the list of coalition allocations set for cabinet approval on Sunday. He demanded an immediate correction to secure his party’s support for the budget in the Knesset.

The government faces a tight deadline, as the budget must be passed by the end of March. Failure to do so would lead to the automatic dissolution of the government and early elections.

The expected allocation of NIS 1.3 billion ($370 million) in coalition funds for Charedi yeshivas has drawn sharp criticism from opposition figures. Opposition Leader Yair Lapid labeled the move as “corruption,” characterizing the funding as “loot.”

The funding debate comes amid broader negotiations between Netanyahu and the Charedi parties. According to Kol Chai radio, Netanyahu and Smotrich recently offered increased funding for Charedi educational institutions in exchange for support on delaying legislation that would grant yeshiva bochurim exemptions from military service.

Goldknopf’s latest threat follows a similar warning just days ago, when he insisted that the government must pass a draft exemption law before approving the budget. During a UTJ meeting, he argued that repeated delays in enacting military exemptions for yeshiva bochurim were unacceptable.

“We have two options before us: either they put off the conscription bill and we go to summer elections, or they insist on passing it before the budget and the government completes its term,” Goldknopf said, adding that his party would consult its rabbinic leadership before making a final decision.

The conscription of Charedim remains a deeply divisive issue in Israel. The High Court of Justice ruled in June that the government must begin drafting Charedim into the military, ending decades of blanket exemptions.

Netanyahu, under pressure from his Charedi allies, has repeatedly promised a legislative solution to maintain the exemptions. However, a bill addressing the issue remains stalled in the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, chaired by Likud MK Yuli Edelstein. Edelstein has insisted that any legislation must significantly increase the IDF’s conscription base.