Thu Jun 12 02:19:55 UTC 2025: **News Article:**

**Netanyahu Government Survives No-Confidence Vote Amid Conscription Crisis**

Jerusalem – In a narrow victory, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government survived a preliminary vote to dissolve parliament (Knesset) early Thursday. The vote, rejected 61-53, comes after a last-minute agreement was reached regarding a contentious dispute over military conscription.

The crisis stems from disagreements within Netanyahu’s coalition regarding exemptions from mandatory military service for ultra-Orthodox Jewish seminary students. While some religious parties seek to maintain these exemptions, other lawmakers advocate for their complete removal. The issue has become particularly sensitive amidst the ongoing war in Gaza, with Israel facing a shortage of troops and suffering significant battlefield casualties.

“I am pleased to announce that after long discussions we have reached agreements on the principles on which the draft law will be based,” said Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee Yuli Edelstein in a statement.

The failure of the no-confidence vote grants Netanyahu’s government more time to resolve the crisis, potentially averting an early election that polls suggest he would lose. Opposition lawmakers, however, continue to call for his removal, citing the ongoing war in Gaza and the failure to secure the release of all hostages taken during the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.

“It’s more than ever urgent to replace Netanyahu’s government and specifically this toxic and harmful government,” stated Labour lawmaker Merav Michaeli.

Public discontent with Netanyahu’s leadership has grown since the Hamas attack, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 Israelis and the abduction of 251 hostages. The subsequent Israeli offensive in Gaza has killed almost 55,000 Palestinians, according to health officials in the Gaza, displaced millions, and triggered a humanitarian crisis. The high number of Israeli soldier casualties (over 400) in the conflict has further fueled anger over the ultra-Orthodox conscription exemptions.

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