The coalition rejoiced Monday evening after defeating two motions of no-confidence tabled by the opposition at the opening of the Knesset’s summer session.

The first measure led by Likud failed 52-61, garnering support from the Left opposition’s Joint List. The second motion led by Shas, from which the Joint List was absent, was voted down 52-56.  “Bibi is a red line,” said a spokesperson for Joint List fraction leader MK Ayman Odeh (Hadash), using Netanyahu’s well-known nickname.

Joint List fraction leader MK Ayman Odeh (Photo: Knesset)

The racist Religious Zionist Party slammed the coalition for counting on the Joint List’s votes, a move that would have been considered political suicide in previous years. Islamist Ra’am, still in the midst of a three-week freeze from voting with the coalition, similarly did not attend, denying the coalition its 4 votes. Until now, governing coalition depends on the four votes of the Ra’am Party of MK Mansour Abbas, who returned on Monday from a family vacation in Turkey.

On Monday night a new Channel 13 poll predicts the Knesset seat map if elections were held today. The survey found Likud would win 36 seats; Yesh Atid 18; Religious Zionism 9; Yamina 8; Joint List 8; Blue and White 7; Shas 7; UTJ 7; Labor 6; Yisrael Beytenu 5; Meretz 5; New Hope 4; Ra’am would not pass the electoral threshold. The pro-Netanyahu opposition bloc would then have 59 seats, while parties that make up the current coalition would have 53.