The Israeli coalition government led by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is lost its already shaky majority in parliament† On Wednesday, a parliamentarian from Bennet’s own Jamina party surprisingly defected to former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud, giving the government and opposition 60 seats each in the Knesset.
Because the Knesset is in recess until May 8, Bennett does not have to immediately fear a vote that could lead to the fall of his cabinet. His government, made up of a motley crew of conservative, orthodox and liberal parties, has been in power since last summer. The participating parties found each other mainly in their dislike of Netanyahu, who had been in power for twelve years.
Jewish character of Israel
Jamina MP Idit Silman, an Orthodox Jew, crossed to Likud because Minister Nitzan Horowitz (Health, Meretz) refused to non-kosher food in hospitals during the upcoming Passover feast – especially products with leavened dough. Among Orthodox, this is a sensitive issue. Silman accused the cabinet of undermining the Jewish character of Israel.
It is uncertain what the consequences of Silman’s move will be. The government has not fallen yet, but it has become paralyzed. Analysts are anticipating that Minister Yair Lapid (Foreign Affairs, Yesh Atid) will lead an interim cabinet. New elections to the Knesset could then follow later this year. That would be the fifth in three years.
Bennett himself did not immediately react to this setback. On Tuesday he had predicted that this crisis would blow over. Netanyahu, on the other hand, who is still embroiled in some lawsuits over issues raised during his premiership, congratulated Silman and “welcomed her back into the nationalist family.” According to some Israeli media Silman has received assurances that she could become health minister herself in a next cabinet with Likud.
Also read: Israel has a government without Netanyahu . for the first time in 12 years