Israeli Court Ruling on Ultra-Orthodox Subsidies Threatens Netanyahu's Fragile Coalition
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Israel's Supreme Court ruled that the current system of subsidies and exemptions for ultra-Orthodox seminary students is discriminatory and must be changed. This threatens Netanyahu's governing coalition.
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The court gave the government until June 30th to pass a new plan. In the interim, funding for subsidies will be frozen starting Monday.
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Many Israelis celebrate the decision, seeing it as a way to end an unfair system and make ultra-Orthodox equally contribute to society. But ultra-Orthodox leaders angrily condemn it.
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If Netanyahu tries to preserve exemptions to keep ultra-Orthodox parties in his coalition, he risks losing support of more centrist partners. But if he doesn't, the ultra-Orthodox could quit the government.
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If the governing coalition collapses and new elections are held, polls show Netanyahu trailing significantly amidst the ongoing Gaza war. So the court ruling poses a major political threat.