Talk of the government’s potential collapse, which would lead to elections as early as June, is intensifying in Israel, amid a major dispute over legislation to exempt ultra-Orthodox—or Haredi—men from serving in the military. The Haredi coalition parties, Shas and United Torah Judaism, have upped their rhetoric in recent days, going so far as to suggest that Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is scuttling a possible compromise because it is in his interests to go to the polls now, as his ongoing legal troubles could lead to indictments by year’s end. Both Shas and United Torah Judaism have vowed to vote against the 2019 budget—which would effectively bring down the government—unless their so-called Basic Law, a quasi-constitutional bill, exempting from the military full-time Torah-studying Jews is passed. In response, Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon has threatened to pull his Kulanu party out of the coalition if the proposed budget is not passed next week, whereas Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman also insisted his Yisrael Beytenu party will join the opposition if the ultra-Orthodox have their way. Meanwhile, sources close to Netanyahu on Tuesday were quoted by local media hinting at early elections for the first time. “Netanyahu’s goal at the moment is a government that serves its term to the end,” a source told Hebrew-language news outlets. “There is no point in a government that will fall apart in May. Therefore, without an agreement that guarantees longevity, there is no choice but to go to elections.” While the next election is currently scheduled for November 2019, given Israel’s complex political landscape it is common for governments to not serve out their full terms.