[96455] Coalition crisis: Ultra-Orthodox party leaders boycott Netanyahu's meeting
[96455] Coalition crisis: Ultra-Orthodox party leaders boycott Netanyahu's meeting
Against the backdrop of disagreements over the promotion of sectoral laws and the date for the dissolution of the Knesset, the coalition leaders' meeting was canceled following a boycott by representatives of the Ultra-Orthodox parties.
The tension in the coalition: Meeting of party leaders canceled
A political drama unfolded this evening (June 23, 2026), when a meeting of coalition leaders convened by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was canceled following a sweeping boycott by the leaders of the Ultra-Orthodox parties. As reported by Ziv Rubinstein - Until the war ends and The News Arena, Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri joined the boycott after informing Netanyahu that he would not attend, which led to the cancellation of the entire meeting.
At the heart of the boycott is growing tension surrounding the promotion of controversial laws. According to Political Arena, Aryeh Deri held a tense meeting last week with Netanyahu against the backdrop of "the re-examination within the coalition regarding the promotion of the laws he demanded, the Arrests Law and the Basic Law: Torah Study." Simultaneously, it was reported in Political Arena that MK Moshe Gafni of United Torah Judaism no longer considers his party part of the coalition, which led to his decision to be absent from the meeting.
Despite the broad boycott, it was later reported in Political Arena that Netanyahu held a limited meeting with Deri and Gafni, without Smotrich and Ben Gvir, with the aim of "formulating a package deal that will include legislation to prevent the arrest of deserters who do not enlist." This follows earlier reports by The News Arena and Politics Updates, which noted that the original meeting was intended to discuss the "date for the dissolution of the Knesset" alongside the advancement of the legislative agenda remaining on the table.
In the international arena, it was reported in Political Arena (which usually focuses on geopolitical reports alongside internal Israeli politics) that the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with the Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq, in Muscat, which may indicate regional developments that are not directly related to the internal political crisis in Israel.