United Torah Judaism Refuses to Endorse Netanyahu for Prime Minister

Israel’s United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party informed President Isaac Herzog on Thursday that it will not recommend any candidate to form the next government, dealing a political setback to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The decision came during the second day of presidential consultations following last week’s elections. UTJ, which holds seven Knesset seats and has traditionally supported Netanyahu, has expressed frustration over the failure to pass legislation addressing military exemptions for yeshiva students. Neither Netanyahu nor opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot currently has the 61 seats needed to form a government.