For many, it is nothing short of a miracle that the current coalition has survived as long as it has but the latest piece of legislation to challenge its continued existence is the Jewish Nation Bill. Due to the efforts of Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, the bill will not be voted on in Knesset on Wednesday 4 Kislev, as the Yisrael Beitenu party leader managed to buy a week’s time during which he hopes a version of the bill that is acceptable to all will be formulated during the coming week. However, even if this is successful, it is becoming increasingly clear to lawmakers that this current coalition is approaching its final days.

He daily Yisrael Hayom reports that Lieberman and his party have already made overtures to Likud and Bayit Yehudi, seeking to preempt others towards agreeing on a future coalition following the next election.

Opposition leader Labor party leader Yitzchak Herzog has turned to Yesh Atid and The Movement party to come on board to form an alternate coalition.

The chareidim are rumored to be conducting back-room negotiations. Chareidi lawmakers have stated of late that they have no intentions of being the saviors of this coalition, signaling they will not come in to replace any party that breaks away. Chareidim have decided elections are on the agenda.

Polls indicate that in another round of elections Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will return to his leadership role. While the chareidim are aware of this, perhaps they are relying on polls that predict Yesh Atid will drop into the single digits from its current 19 seats. The chareidim, Yahadut Hatorah and Shas alike would like to see Yair Lapid and his party knocked down so they are no longer a senior coalition partner.

As the coalition shifts from one crisis to another, Lapid is now accusing Likud of leading the country to elections, insisting he genuinely does not want to go to the polls. Despite his noble statements, Lapid regularly threatens to bring down the government if legislation viewed as significant by his party is not passed, or in the latest case, he is threatening in the event the Jewish Nation Bill is passed.

Lapid and coalition partner The Movement party feel that the bill must be amended to place the emphasis on Israel being a democratic nation above its Jewish character while currently, the Jewish aspect of the nation’s identity is the priority. Lapid and Livni feel this would be discriminatory to Arab and other non-Jewish citizens.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)