Recent indications that former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may be on his way out of politics, if he accepts a plea deal in his corruption trial, has sent the state into a dizzying spin. Such a departure would affect the whole political spectrum. More specifically, it could have quite surprising implications for the ultra-Orthodox parties.

The desire to expel Netanyahu from politics is the most effective glue holding together the disparate parties comprising the government formed in June 2021. As long as his larger-than-life presence overshadows Israeli politics, Netanyahu’s bitter enemies will remain united. His disappearance from the political arena, on the other hand, could spell the government’s demise. Absurdly, the government’s salvation could emerge from none other than the two ultra-Orthodox parties, Shas and United Torah Judaism (UTJ), which are currently in the opposition.

Both these parties consider the current government as a threat to the ultra-Orthodox beliefs and lifestyle. What is more, the politician they have for years targeted as an archenemy, Yesh Atid party chair Yair Lapid (now serving as foreign minister), is scheduled to become prime minister in August 2023 under a power-sharing deal with the incumbent, Naftali Bennett.

The government, by the way, has earned the wrath of the ultra-Orthodox by addressing various explosive issues that other governments, including left-leaning ones, have tried hard to avoid.