Netanyahu’s government faces possible collapse as opposition aims to dissolve it

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men block a highway during a protest against army recruitment (Leo Correa/AP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government faces a major test after the opposition submitted a bill to dissolve it, with his ultra-Orthodox coalition partners threatening to support the measure and force early elections.

The ultra-Orthodox parties are furious that the government has failed to pass a law exempting their community from mandatory military service, an issue that has bitterly divided the Israeli public during the war in the Gaza Strip.