https://arab.news/w94uc
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has just dodged a bullet. On Thursday, the Knesset held a vote that could have dissolved the parliament and forced snap elections. However, 61 members voted against the bill and only 53 voted in favor. This is despite a majority of Israelis (57 percent) wanting early elections. Again, Netanyahu has proved he is a political survivor.
During Israel’s post-Oct. 7 war on Gaza, a lot of scrutiny has been placed on the exemption from military service for the Haredim, ultra-Orthodox seminary students. The coalition government’s two ultra-Orthodox parties had threatened to leave the government and back the vote to dissolve the Knesset if the exemption from military service was not added to a draft bill on the Israeli military.
Netanyahu’s government is made up of his Likud party, far-right groups led by the likes of Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, and the ultra-Orthodox parties. The coalition was experiencing a crisis. The far-right groups wanted to remove the privilege from the ultra-Orthodox groups, as they want the Haredim to be drafted for the Gaza war. With the bill’s defeat, Netanyahu will be able to spend more time in power, as the polls are predicting he would lose if early elections were held.
