Two no-confidence measures fail to pass in Knesset

Two no-confidence measures brought by opposition parties Likud and Shas fail to pass.

The Likud measure only garners 52 votes against the coalition’s 59, and the Shas measure similarly collapses at 51 for, and 59 against.

While today’s no-confidence motions were not expected to pass, a no-confidence measure is one of three possible ways to topple the government, but it requires a majority of 61 MKs to approve.

Despite its teetering status, the current coalition received a boost yesterday when Meretz MK Ghaida Rinawie Zoabi reversed her decision to leave the government and instead returned to support it.

Currently, the coalition-opposition breakdown stands at 60-60, which means there are not enough opposition votes to bring the government down without additional defections.