Netanyahu avoids potential election as vote to dissolve parliament fails

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government survived an attempt to dissolve parliament early Thursday morning, with most of his ultra-Orthodox coalition partners joining him in voting against a bill that would have forced them to register for military service while the country is in conflict with Hamas.

The vote was the most serious challenge to Netanyahu’s government since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, the biggest security failure in Israel’s history and the trigger for the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The bill’s failure means that no other bill to dissolve Knesset can be submitted for at least six months, shoring up Netanyahu’s embattled coalition.

The ultra-Orthodox parties are furious that the government has failed to pass a law exempting their community from mandatory military service. The issue has long divided the Jewish Israeli public, especially during the 20-month conflict in the Gaza Strip.

Israel’s opposition had hoped that the public anger over the exemptions would help topple the government. But just two of the 18 ultra-Orthodox members of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, supported the bill to dissolve.

Most Haredi MKs agreed to vote against the bill after Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman Yuli Edelstein said he and the ultra-Orthodox parties had reached an understanding on the basis of a new draft law, which they will continue discussing over the coming week.

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Military service is mandatory for most Jews in Israel, but the politically powerful ultra-Orthodox, who make up roughly 13 per cent of Israeli society, have traditionally received exemptions if they are studying full-time in religious seminaries.

The ultra-Orthodox, also known as Haredim, or “God-fearing” in Hebrew, say that integrating into the army threatens their traditional way of life. Each year, roughly 13,000 ultra-Orthodox men reach the conscription age of 18, but less than 10 per cent enlist, according to parliament’s State Control Committee, which held a hearing examining the issue.

Israel is engaged in the longest active conflict in the country’s history, which has stretched its military to the breaking point. The Haredim’s widespread refusal to serve, and threats to topple the government during wartime, have enraged many Israelis, especially those who have served multiple rounds of reserve duty.