The coalition on Wednesday was able to defeat four motions for the dissolution of the Knesset despite its razor-thin majority of only 61 out of 120 MKs.
The coalition imposed mandatory presence on all MKs to shore up its ranks ahead of the votes. Faced with the coalition's guaranteed majority, the Zionist Union, Yesh Atid, Meretz and Yisrael Beytenu factions withdrew their no-confidence motions to avoid forfeiting the right to file such motions in the near future.
Under the Knesset's bylaws, if a motion of no-confidence is voted down, the party that presented it is barred from doing so again for a period of six months, something none of the opposition factions were willing to risk.
All coalition MKs heeded the mandatory presence directive, ensuring that the government was able to push some 20 legislative proposals through their preliminary readings.
Lawmakers from both the coalition and the opposition canceled vacations and overseas trips to attend the vote. Likud MK Sharren Haskel even defied doctors' orders and checked out of the hospital against medical advice to attend the plenum session, arriving at the Knesset still hooked up to an IV.
The coalition lambasted the opposition for refusing to have one of its MKs offset Haskel's vote. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally thanked her for her effort to attend the plenum session.
