Netanyahu coalition threatened by conscription standoff with religious parties

Israel is facing a deepening political crisis that could soon bring down Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition, as one of its key ultra-Orthodox partners threatens to leave the government and back an opposition-led motion to dissolve parliament next week. 

Recent Israeli opinion polls indicate that Netanyahu's coalition would likely lose power if elections were held today.

The crisis centers on long-standing tensions over military conscription exemptions for ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) men.