Opposition Shelves Dispersal Bill After MK Back in Coalition

By Shmuel Smith

YERUSHALAYIM – The opposition has decided to shelve a bill calling for dispersal of the Knesset and new elections after the latest shift in the coalition’s favor.

The bill was set to be brought to the plenum this week, but Likud faction chairman MK Yariv Levin’s office told The Times of Israel that it’s been taken off the agenda for the time being.

The Likud-led opposition saw an opening to bring down the Bennett-Lapid government after Meretz MK Ghaida Rinawie Zoabi quit, reducing the coalition to 59 MKs versus a potential 61, enough to win the vote. But Zoabe’s decision to return after promises were made to expedite funding for Arab communities restored the 60-60 balance, making a motion to disperse unlikely to succeed.

Even for the couple of days she was out of the coalition, Zoabi said she would not support bills to bring down the government.

Besides a dispersal bill, a government can be toppled by a no-confidence vote of at least 61 MKs, or a government’s failure to pass a budget before the legal deadline.