'Slight reprieve' for Netanyahu Knesset rejects dissolution bill

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00:00The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition has survived an opposition-backed effort to dissolve parliament

00:05as lawmakers rejected a bill that could have paved the way for snap elections.

00:1061 voted against, 53 in favour.

00:13The opposition had introduced that bill, hoping to force elections with the help of ultra-Orthodox parties

00:19angry at Netanyahu over the contentious issue of conscription for deeply religious Jews.

00:25The ultra-Orthodox parties, though, still propping up Netanyahu's government after earlier threatening to back the motion.

00:33It comes as criticism of the government of Benjamin Netanyahu's war in Gaza is mounting.

00:38There are charges of genocide and war crimes coming from foreign leaders and also from several former Israeli Prime Ministers.

00:45Opinion polls in Israel itself also bad for Netanyahu.

00:49Philip Taylor, International Affairs Editor, is with me here on set.

00:52Philip, it appears that every way Netanyahu looks, there appears to be trouble.

00:56Well, he's got a slight reprieve here with this vote overnight, which I think will come as a relief to the Israeli Prime Minister

01:04because he could have faced early elections and that meant pretty much that he would lose.

01:09So he now has another breathing period, if you like.

01:13But it was only a very small victory for him.

01:1761 votes against, 53 in favour.

01:19So just by the skin of his teeth, he's pulled through it and his coalition is weakened as a result of that vote.

01:25But it was basically the Orthodox Jews who have agreed to sanctions being lifted against deserters not going into the army

01:35or refusers to take part in army activities, which is something that they were asking for.

01:43So Benjamin Netanyahu, with some good news today, but when you look at the general situation in Israel, it's not looking good for him right now.

01:51If you look at the situation in the war in Gaza, for example, 55,223 Palestinians dead since the start of the hostilities on the 7th of October.

02:0180% are civilian victims and 2.1 million people facing famine.

02:08That's according to figures put forward by the UNHCR and other humanitarian groups.

02:1590% of buildings in the Gaza Strip are said to have been reduced to rubble or really destroyed.

02:20So the bottom line here is that there are growing calls for Netanyahu to end the war in Gaza.

02:27Netanyahu doesn't show any signs of that.

02:29We're still a long way off from a ceasefire agreement.

02:32And he is being accused by many in Israel of wanting to prolong the war to keep his own position safe in power as prime minister,

02:40because if he falls from grace as prime minister, is out of office, he then faces corruption charges.

02:45And that pressure has grown in recent weeks as a result of the hostage situation.

02:51And it's putting many in Netanyahu under increased pressure, not only from the population in Israel who are not agreeing with what he's doing,

02:58but also from his own government and from his own backers on the far right in Israel.

03:03I mentioned briefly at the top there opinion polls.

03:05What are they actually showing in Israel?

03:07Well, they're not good.

03:07I mean, they're not good news.

03:09And if you look at just one of them that I pulled out for you, which is organised by the group Statista,

03:13they say that only 41% of Israelis have a positive opinion of Benjamin Netanyahu,

03:19with 58% saying that they don't agree with the way he's handling the war in Gaza.

03:24As I said, the hostages is really the key demand here.

03:28They should be liberated.

03:29Many saying this should have happened months ago, even a year ago.

03:32Why are so many hostages still being held in the Gaza Strip?

03:3655 hostages are said to be in there right now, with at least 32 of those hostages reported to be killed.

03:43Out of 148 who were originally captured on the 7th of October.

03:48And another charge which has been raised against Benjamin Netanyahu, not only from within Israel,

03:54but from outside, from humanitarian organisations and from the United Nations Special Committee

03:59and Amnesty International saying that genocide is taking place in the Gaza Strip

04:04because of the large-scale killing, hunger being used as a weapon in war,

04:09the destruction of the civilian infrastructure and attacks on healthcare workers.

04:13So all of these charges are mounting up against Benjamin Netanyahu.

04:17And he is finding that he is being not only criticised at home, but also being criticised overseas.

04:23And all that as well as Donald Trump has snubbed Benjamin Netanyahu,

04:27moving ahead with those, as we've been talking about at the top of the programme,

04:30those nuclear talks with Iran.

04:31Well, there are a couple of issues this week which are interesting to pinpoint.

04:35One of them is, of course, the Iranian nuclear issue.

04:38And the Israelis have always favoured launching attacks against Iran,

04:43saying there's a window of opportunity now because Hezbollah has been weakened.

04:47Hamas is also seriously weakened.

04:49The Houthi rebels as well.

04:52These are three of Iran's proxies.

04:54So it's time now for us to try to hammer Iran itself and launch attacks against those nuclear installations.

05:00The Iranians are saying that that is something that they don't want

05:04and they want to continue these negotiations with the United States.

05:07We have another round coming up on Sunday.

05:08But it depends how these negotiations turn out.

05:11As you were saying before,

05:13the Americans are saying that they're putting out some of their personnel from Iraq

05:17and other sensitive areas in the Middle East because they fear that these talks may go nowhere.

05:22But is that a negotiating tactic to put more pressure on the Iranians?

05:26But one thing is for sure,

05:27Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu don't see eye to eye right now about what the right move forward is.

05:34And one other issue which is also interesting to bring up right now

05:38is the conference next week, the UN conference,

05:41to discuss a two-state solution to the Middle East.

05:44And for the first time, the Trump administration is putting pressure on those countries

05:49that are going to take part in these talks,

05:51most notably France, Great Britain and Canada,

05:55saying that you must not recognize a two-state solution

05:59because that would be counterproductive to try to work out a solution to the war in Gaza.

06:04And that the United States, I'll quote,

06:06you'll be seen as acting in opposition to US foreign policy interests

06:10and could face diplomatic consequences.

06:12Well, the reaction from that, to that from those countries,

06:16and especially from France, is that that is a bullying technique

06:19and they will not stand for it.

06:20But pressure also not to accept this two-state solution in Israel.

06:24So that could pander to what Benjamin Netanyahu

06:27and, above all, his far-right coalition are looking to try to achieve.

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