Israeli government on the verge of collapse; Bennett, Lapid struggle
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With members continuing to resign, the Israeli government could soon hit rock bottom, literally.
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Knesset member Itamar Ben-Gvir of the Jewish Power party being held back while shouting during the session in 2021 (AFP)
After the end of Netanyahu's reign, Bennett's government was sworn in and is seen to be on the verge of collapse, raising the possibility of a snap election in the coming few months.
The current Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett, along with his Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, promised to fight for the survival of the current Israeli government, which is doomed to its demise.
"We're marking a year since the establishment of the national salvation government. Any honest person would admit that this is one of the country's best governments, which leans on one of the most difficult coalitions the Knesset has ever known," Bennett said in broadcast remarks at the start of his weekly cabinet meeting.
However, the current government is dealing with issues over which they are deeply divided, including Bennett's loss of legitimacy, when his 4th staff member resigned in a month.
Read more: 69% of Israeli settlers worried about the fate of the occupation
Silman's 'preparation to bring down the government'
Furthermore, Bennett's Yamina party has also recently lost majority after its latest member, a religious conservative, Idit Silman, resigned. Bennett's coalition now has 60 MPs, the same as the opposition.
"I am ending my membership of the coalition and will try to continue to talk my friends into returning home and forming a right-wing government," Silman said. "I know I'm not the only one who feels this way."
Bennett's coalition may continue ruling with 60 seats, although with difficulty passing new legislation.
However, if another coalition member defected, the Knesset could issue a vote of no confidence, sending "Israel" back to the polls for a fifth parliamentary election in four years.
Political analyst Dahlia Scheindlin told AFP that if Silman "is the first person to prepare to bring down the government, she is doing it from the place of conviction." "She is religious, and I think we all underestimate the power of theology," Scheindlin said.
Bennett: "Israel" stands before true test, gov't close to collapse
The Israeli occupation's Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett, said earlier this month that "Israel" stands before a true test and that his government is close to collapse, standing at a historical crossroads, accusing Benjamin Netanyahu and the opposition he leads of spreading poison and chaos.
Bennett, in a missive he published on social media, said the ancient "Israel" had been destroyed twice before because of internal conflict: the first, 80 years after its "establishment", and the second, 77 years later, adding that "Israel" is now in its third era, drawing closer to its eighth decade. He went on to say that everyone stands before a true test of whether or not they will be able to preserve "Israel".
He noted that one year ago, "Israel came to one of the most difficult moments it has ever known," amid chaos, endless election spins, government paralysis, and the cities of "Lod [Al-Ledd] and Acre [Akka] burning in the face of a humiliated and conflicted government," referring to the Palestinian protests that took place amid the battle of Seif Al-Quds last year.
The Israeli PM further noted that "Israel" was in a state of weakness amid the battle of Seif Al-Quds and was trapped in “the worship of one man and the enslavement of the state’s energy to his legal needs,” referring to then-Israeli PM Netanyahu.
Bennett further added that the Israeli occupation stood days away from a "fifth election cycle that would have taken the country apart," and took the most difficult decision "in my life" to form a government that would "save Israel from the chaos and has it function again."
