JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition successfully fended off an opposition-led bid to dissolve the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, after ultra-Orthodox parties in his government agreed to back down over a controversial military draft bill.
The motion to dissolve the Knesset, which could have triggered an early election, was rejected with 61 lawmakers opposing it and 53 supporting it. With the Knesset consisting of 120 seats, a majority of 61 votes was needed to pass the motion.
This victory for Netanyahu’s coalition gives his government more time to navigate its worst political crisis yet and avoid an early election, which recent polls suggest Netanyahu would likely lose. The ongoing crisis centers around a deadlock over the military conscription bill, which has pitted different factions of Netanyahu’s coalition against each other.
“I am pleased to announce that after long discussions we have reached agreements on the principles on which the draft law will be based,” said Yuli Edelstein, head of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee, in a statement.
The bill’s central issue is whether ultra-Orthodox Jewish seminary students should be exempt from mandatory military service. The exemptions have been a longstanding and contentious issue in Israel, but they have become particularly divisive during the ongoing war in Gaza, which has seen Israel suffer its highest battlefield casualties in decades. The military, under pressure, is seeking more recruits.
Some religious factions within Netanyahu’s coalition have insisted on maintaining the exemptions for ultra-Orthodox students, while others argue for their removal altogether.
As the political deadlock continued, ultra-Orthodox coalition factions had indicated that they would vote with opposition parties to dissolve the Knesset and push for elections ahead of the scheduled 2026 date.
“It’s more than ever urgent to replace Netanyahu’s government, and specifically this toxic and harmful government,” said Merav Michaeli, an opposition lawmaker from the Labour Party. “It’s urgent to end the war in Gaza, to bring back all the hostages, and to start rebuilding and healing the state of Israel.”
