United Torah Judaism to Boycott Knesset Votes This Week Amid Coalition Crisis

The United Torah Judaism faction has decided to boycott all votes in the Knesset plenum this week, deepening tensions within the governing coalition.

While the final decision is expected to be formally approved at an upcoming faction meeting, the move already signals a significant coalition crisis. The dispute follows a sharp confrontation between Aryeh Deri, chairman of Shas, and Moshe Gafni, head of Degel HaTorah, alongside what UTJ officials describe as coalition intervention in favor of Shas.

During the faction meeting, UTJ faction chairman Uri Maklev outlined the background to the decision, explaining that relations between Shas and Degel HaTorah deteriorated further over the appointment of the chairman of Yerushalayim’s religious council. According to Maklev, the recent conduct surrounding the issue left United Torah Judaism with no choice but to refrain from supporting coalition votes this week.

UTJ chairman Yitzhak Goldknopf voiced sharp criticism during the discussion, directing his remarks at Maklev. Goldknopf questioned why voting boycotts were not pursued earlier, saying: “Didn’t you always say we need to keep a ‘wick’ connected to the coalition? Yeshiva students are being arrested, the Ofek Chadash framework is being stalled, and that still didn’t lead you to halt votes in the plenum.”