(JNS) The 25th Knesset dissolved on July 17, and while polls differ sharply over the balance between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc and its opponents, most surveys leave neither side with much room to spare. That once again places Israel’s smaller parties—particularly the Haredi parties—at the center of the coalition arithmetic that will determine who governs after the election set for Oct. 27.
Therein lies one of the enduring paradoxes of Israeli politics. Shas and United Torah Judaism (UTJ) hold only about 15% of the Knesset’s 120 seats. They do not compete for the premiership, have never sought to become Israel’s largest party and campaign primarily around the interests of the communities they represent. Yet their pivotal position in coalition negotiations gives them influence far beyond their electoral strength.
Their influence extends well beyond determining who becomes prime minister. Participation in successive governments has given the Haredi parties leverage over education funding, yeshivah budgets, welfare policy, national-religious institutions and the broader relationship between their communities and the state.
That observation raises the central question behind...
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