Shas Party's 'Rabbis Law' withdrawn amid coalition dispute

The "Rabbis Law," promoted by the Shas party, was withdrawn from a first reading vote in the Knesset after it became clear the coalition did not have a majority, Kan 11 reported.

Following the announcement that the vote would not take place, Shas party MKs left the Knesset plenary hall.

Before the vote, the Otzma Yehudit faction stated it would not support the bill unless party leader Itamar Ben-Gvir was included in the "inner cabinet" on security issues. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had planned to meet with Ben-Gvir that evening to resolve the issue. However, after the vote on the bill was canceled, the meeting was also canceled.

Otzma Yehudit labeled the bill "a political deal between Netanyahu and Deri" throughout the drafting process. During the parliamentary committee debate on the bill, Likud MKs Tally Gotliv and Moshe Saad spoke out against it and were subsequently removed from the committee.