JERUSALEM, May 7: Embattled Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert weathered three motions of no-confidence in parliament on Monday, the latest backlash over a scathing inquiry into his handling of last year's Lebanon war.

The Knesset rejected the three motions by votes of 61, 61 and 62 against, compared with 26, 28 and 28 for -- a comfortable margin in the chamber that requires a simple majority of those present to pass or reject a motion.

Abstentions in the three votes were 9, 9 and 6.

The counts revealed faultlines within Olmert's 78-member coalition in the 120-seat parliament, however, as at least 16 members were either absent, voted against the government or abstained.

Olmert, who was present in the chamber, smiled after the results.

Earlier opposition leaders called on the beleaguered premier to step down over an interim government inquiry that slammed him for serious failures during the 34-day war last summer.

“A storm is brewing in all corners of the country,” Benjamin Netanyahu, the leader of the right-wing Likud opposition party that lodged one of the motions, said as he opened the debate.

“The people are telling you a simple thing -- you have failed. Accept the responsibility and go home,” said the former premier. “But members of the government are trying to hide from the storm. They say 'we have a majority in the chamber' and are mocking the people.” “Your errors can only be repaired by new elections,” said Netanyahu, whose Likud party would win early elections according to all recent opinion polls.

Ran Cohen of the left-wing Meretz party, which also sponsored one of the motions, echoed the calls, saying Olmert's government led the country into a “crazy adventure” during last year's war.

“Because of you, the country is doubting its future,” he said. “Go home.—AFP