Ultra-Orthodox Party Official Won't Vote Against Opposition Government

Senior officials within the United Torah Judaism party, specifically from Agudat Yisrael, have indicated that MK Yitzhak Goldknopf will not vote against a potential minority government led by MK Gadi Eisenkot, should one be formed after the elections. Instead, Goldknopf would abstain from voting, according to a report by political correspondent Amit Segal. These sources suggested that Goldknopf would not be alone in this stance, with similar abstentions expected from representatives of the Degel HaTorah faction within the party. This move is being framed as a potential "breaking of the bloc" with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Segal explained that these senior officials aim to signal to Netanyahu that his political influence is waning, suggesting that the leader of the Gur Hasidic dynasty believes Netanyahu's political career is over. The implication of this potential abstention is that Netanyahu would need to secure more mandates than Eisenkot's bloc to prevent an opposition government from forming. Goldknopf himself responded to the report, stating that Agudat Yisrael would not support the establishment of any government, nor provide external assistance, without the status of yeshiva students being regulated and a conscription law being passed without sanctions or quotas.