Opposition fails to gain votes to end government

JERUSALEM, Jan. 12 (JTA) — The Israeli government has lived up to its predictions and survived two no-confidence motions introduced this week by the opposition. The motions were supported by former Foreign Minister David Levy’s Gesher Party. His recent resignation left the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a slender 61-59 majority in the Knesset. The final vote in the motions, introduced over the state budget and Levy’s resignation, was 54-54, with two abstentions. A majority of 61 votes in the 120-member Knesset is required to bring down the government and go to new elections. Coalition chairman Meir Sheetrit of Likud proposed that members of his party boycott future no-confidence debates. Noting that the opposition still lacked a majority of 61 to bring down the government, Sheetrit said his party should not be subject to “weekly harassment” by the opposition. During the debate, Deputy Defense Minister Silvan Shalom said the opposition would never be able to muster the necessary 61 votes. “There is no chance there will be 61 votes for the no-confidence motions, and so the government will remain as is,” he said. Analysts had predicted that with the departure of Levy, considered a moderate force in Netanyahu’s government, the premier would be hard-pressed to secure backing from right-wing coalition members for peace moves with the Palestinians. Levy, when he resigned, described the government like a “plane flying to nowhere.” Knesset member Amnon Rubinstein of the dovish Meretz Party, during the no-confidence debate, termed the government “a pilotless drone.” Rubinstein attacked what he described as unilateral moves by the government, especially regarding Jewish settlement expansion. “We will decide when to build settlements. We will decide where to expand them. Can you expect reciprocity or confidence-building measures on this basis?” he said.