00:00Israel's parliament has rejected a preliminary vote to dissolve itself after a breakthrough in a dispute over military conscription.
00:09The motion, which could have triggered early elections that polls suggest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would lose, failed by a vote of 61 to 53.
00:20With 120 seats in the Knesset, 61 votes were needed to pass.
00:25The result gives Netanyahu's coalition more time to resolve its worst political crisis and avoid elections, the first since the Gaza war began.
00:35Netanyahu has been pushing to resolve a deadlock in his coalition over a new conscription bill that would exempt ultra-Orthodox Jews from military service, a move that has divided Israelis.
00:46While most Israelis are required to serve nearly three years in the military and remain on reserve duty, the ultra-Orthodox, which make up 13% of the population, have long been exempted for religious purposes.
01:00The issue has stoked tensions between circular and religious Israelis, especially since the Gaza conflict, which has placed a heavier burden on soldiers.
01:09Frustrated with the impasse, ultra-Orthodox factions in Netanyahu's coalition have threatened to back opposition calls to dissolve parliament, bringing forward an election that is not due until late 2026.
01:22Frustrated with the U.S.
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