BICOM

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his Likud party last night that the Government will continue for another year.

Speaking to Likud Knesset members he said elections would only be held in a year’s time at the end of the 20th Knesset’s term in November 2019. Netanyahu said: “In the past few days I spoke with all the coalition leaders and I told them that the government mustn’t be brought down at the current time. I’m pleased that those efforts bore fruit. We have another full year until the elections… But in order to continue we need to show coalition discipline – without rebels, without absences.”

The Government now has a wafer thin governing majority of 61 coalition seats in the 120 member Knesset. The coalition faces two major legislative challenges. First, the ultra-Orthodox military conscription bill must be passed ahead of a December 2nd deadline set by the Supreme Court. The conscription bill, written by the Defence Ministry, requires yeshivas (religious seminaries) to meet targets for military recruits from the ultra orthodox community. If the targets are not met, financial sanctions would be imposed on the yeshivas where they study. If they fail to meet the target for three consecutive years, the new law will expire and all young ultra-Orthodox men will be subject to compulsory military service. The bill also formalises exemptions for the vast majority of yeshiva students. In its current form, the bill is opposed by the United Torah Judaism party. In light of the changing dynamics since the resignation of Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman, the ultra-Orthodox parties are likely to pressure Prime Minister Netanyahu to amend the bill in their favour and quickly pass it, in exchange for supporting him after the next election.

The second challenge comes from Culture and Sport Minister Miri Regev’s ‘loyalty in culture’ bill. The legislation amends the law that regulates funding for theatre and film productions and seeks to defund cultural institutions “undermining the state’s values and symbols.” The Kulanu party opposes the bill, and Kulanu leader Moshe Kahlon has said he doesn’t think a 61 seat government is stable. But Israeli political pundits doubt he will bring down the government and call for early elections over the issue.

A poll by Army Radio found that a majority of Israelis were not persuaded by the Prime Minister’s argument that the country is in “the midst of a military campaign, and you don’t leave during a campaign, you don’t play with politics.” Fifty-eight per cent of Israelis said the main motive behind Netanyahu’s speech on Sunday night was “political, to avoid early elections.” Only 31 per cent believed it was out of “a real concern for the country’s security situation.”