Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a plenary session of the Knesset. Photo: Alex Kolomoisky
The coalition of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has won a critical victory, repelling an attempt by the opposition to dissolve the Knesset. On Thursday night, after intense negotiations and the intervention of influential rabbis, 61 MPs voted against the dissolution of the parliament, 53 voted in favour. This was reported by Ynet news.
A key role in this was played by representatives of the ultra-Orthodox parties Shas and Degel HaTorah, who were instructed by spiritual leader Rabbi Dov Landau to postpone the final decision for a week and not to support the dissolution.
The change in position came after several hours of negotiations in the office of the chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee, Yuli Edelstein. They reached a preliminary agreement on the principles of a new law on military conscription, which should preserve benefits for yeshiva students.
A joint statement by Shas and Degel HaTorah confirmed the agreement and called for a postponement of the vote. They warned that if the initiative to dissolve the Knesset was considered, they would vote against it. The opposition did not give in – and lost.
Despite the coalition’s victory, disagreements among the orthodox are growing. Representatives of the Hasidic Agudath Israel – MP Meir Porush and another member of the faction – supported the opposition in line with the position of their rabbinical leadership, which believes that a specific text of the bill has not yet been presented.
An unexpected move was also made by MK Yisrael Eichler of the Belz Hasidic sect, who, contrary to the instructions of his council of sages, voted on the side of Shas and Degel HaTorah. This split reveals the deep tensions within the ultra-Orthodox camp over the conscription issue.
According to Knesset regulations, after the defeat of such an initiative, it cannot be reintroduced within six months – unless there are significant changes in circumstances. This gives the Netanyahu government a chance to stay in power at least until the end of the year.
