Israel Faces Return to Political Deadlock as Lawmaker Quits

(Bloomberg) -- Israel's governing coalition lost its majority after a member of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's Yamina party resigned, dragging the country back into political deadlock and raising the prospects of an early election.

Bennett's administration had been governing since June with the slimmest majority -- commanding 61 of parliament's 120 seats. The coalition's existence was always fragile, cobbling together secular and religious factions, hawks and doves, free marketeers and social democrats, as well as an Arab party for the first time in Israeli history.

The departure of Idit Silman, who is prominent on the right-wing of Israeli politics, doesn't bring down the government. But it makes it impossible to pass legislation without the support of rival lawmakers, potentially paralyzing policymaking. And if just one more coalition member leaves, the government would be unlikely to survive any no-confidence vote, increasing the chances of another ballot.

“I will not abet the harming of the Jewish identity of the State of Israel,” Silman said in a statement. “I am putting an end to my membership in this government and I will try to persuade my friends to return home and form a right-wing government. I know I am not the only one who feels this way.”

Shaky since its inception in June last year, the ruling coalition was formed primarily around a desire to unseat then Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after four inconclusive elections in a two-year period, and is dependent on the willingness of its members to compromise to survive.

Silman's move highlights the coalition's deep splits over the role of religion and identity in Israeli politics. It follows a controversy over whether hospital patients should be forced to comply with dietary restrictions associated with a Jewish holiday.

Earlier this week, Silman sharply criticized Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz's decision to uphold a ruling by a top court allowing patients and their visitors to bring in food that doesn't conform to Jewish religious rules during the eight-day Passover holiday. The decision, she was quoted as saying, showed disrespect for 70% of the Israeli public.

Netanyahu's Reign Over as Israel Ushers in Fragile Government

The next big legislative test for the government may not come until March next year, however, when it will need to pass a budget, said Yohanan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute.

“We have ridden back into political crisis mode but without any immediate implication,” he said.

Netanyahu disagreed. The present government's days are numbered, he said in parliament, as he “welcomed” Silman home. “We tell all our friends in the coalition whose heart is in the right place: We are waiting for you.”

Netanyahu faces his own problems, with his trial on charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases ongoing. He denies wrongdoing and says the allegations are part of a political vendetta.

While members of Netanyahu's Likud party voiced optimism that Silman's resignation was both the beginning of the end of the current government and an opportunity for the former premier to return to power, Plesner said such an outcome was far from certain.

“We aren't there yet,” he said. “Nothing guarantees his comeback.”