Netanyahu survives vote to dissolve Israeli parliament

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government narrowly survived an opposition-led motion to dissolve parliament, according to Al-Monitor on June 11th.

The vote saw 61 Knesset members oppose the dissolution bill while 53 supported it. The opposition had hoped to trigger snap elections by exploiting tensions between Netanyahu and his ultra-Orthodox partners over the issue of military conscription exemptions.

The opposition now has to wait for six months before they can attempt to dissolve parliament once more. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich believes enlisting ultra-Orthodox men is a “national and security need.” He also stressed the importance of bolstering the government during this period of regional conflict.

Al-Monitor