Netanyahu survives opposition bid to dissolve parliament
Out of the Knesset's 120 members, 61 voted against the proposal, with 53 in favour.
FILE: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the fifth day of testimony in his trial on corruption charges at the district court in Tel Aviv on 23 December 2024. Picture: DEBBIE HILL/POOL/AFP
JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition survived an opposition-backed effort to dissolve parliament on Thursday, as lawmakers rejected a bill that could have paved the way for snap elections.
Out of the Knesset's 120 members, 61 voted against the proposal, with 53 in favour.
The opposition had introduced the bill, hoping to force elections with the help of ultra-Orthodox parties angry at Netanyahu over the contentious issue of conscription for deeply religious Jews.
While the opposition is composed mainly of centrist and leftist groups, ultra-Orthodox parties that are propping up Netanyahu's government had earlier threatened to back the motion.
Local media reported Thursday morning, however, that most ultra-Orthodox lawmakers ultimately agreed not to support the proposal to dissolve the government.
After their failed vote, the opposition will now have to wait six months to submit another bill.
Opposition faction leaders had said Wednesday that their decision to bring the bill to the Knesset for a vote was "made unanimously and is binding on all factions".
They added that all opposition parties would freeze their lawmaking activities to focus on "the overthrow of the government".
Netanyahu's coalition, formed in December 2022, is one of the most right-wing in the country's history. It includes two ultra-Orthodox parties - Shas and United Torah Judaism (UTJ).
The two parties had threatened to back the motion for early elections amid a row over compulsory military service.
'EXISTENTIAL DANGER'
Military service is mandatory in Israel, but under a ruling that dates to the country's creation, when the ultra-Orthodox were a very small community, men who devote themselves full-time to the study of sacred Jewish texts are given a de facto pass.
Whether that should change has been a long-running issue.
Efforts to scrap the exemption and the resulting blowback have intensified during the nearly 20-month war in Gaza as the military looks for extra manpower.
Netanyahu is under pressure from his Likud party to draft more ultra-Orthodox men and impose penalties on dodgers - a red line for parties such as Shas, who demand a law guaranteeing their members permanent exemption from military service.
Ahead of the Thursday morning vote, Israeli media reported that officials from Netanyahu's coalition were holding talks with ultra-Orthodox leaders hoping to find common ground on the issue.
In an apparent bid to allow time for those negotiations, Netanyahu's coalition filled the Knesset's agenda with bills to delay the dissolution vote.
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Wednesday that bringing down the government during wartime would pose "an existential danger" to Israel's future.
"History will not forgive anyone who drags the state of Israel into elections during a war," Smotrich told parliament, adding that there was a "national and security need" for ultra-Orthodox to fight in the military.
Netanyahu's government is held together by an alliance between his Likud party, far-right groups and ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties, whose departure would mean the end of the government.