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The current government's mandate is scheduled to end in November 2019. But unlike the United States, Israeli governments generally do not fulfill their four-year mandate. No Israeli government has completed its four years since 1988. Israeli governments are based on multi-party coalitions totaling at least 61 members – to resist the vote of no-confidence by the 120-member Knesset.
In the last two weeks, the current government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has fallen to 61 members when Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman resigned from his post and withdrew his party, Yisrael Beytenu (Israel our focus ), of his six seats in government. Apparently, Lieberman resigned at the time, claiming that Israel should have declared a total war against Hamas in Gaza and did not do so. In truth, he needed a platform on which try to rebuild his party.
A few days later, feeling the blood of Netanyahu in the water, the Minister of Education, Naftali Bennett, threatened to let him leave the government, if his name was not minister of the Defense. His party, Habayit Hayehudi (Jewish House), would be raised to 53. convince Bennett to stay in government, the fact remains that his government is shaky and that any member of the coalition could reduce it.
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Just one day later, the Israeli police recommended charging the Home Secretary, Arye Deri, with fraud, breach of trust, tax offenses, and theft. obstruction of justice, perjury and money laundering. Deri, who is president of the Shas party, had served as interior minister years ago and was found guilty of corruption and fraud and spent 22 months in prison.
Conducting a survey of the latest polls and its coalition partners, Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon told his party members, Kulanu, that he did not think the coalition would remain intact beyond March.
The reports explain Netanyahu's dilemma. Although opinion polls have predicted strong electoral results for his party, the Likud, in recent months, recent polls have shown him to be losing support because of the ceasefire with Hamas approved by his government.
In addition, the Israeli police have already recommended several Netanyahu indictments. He wants to delay the elections at least until May. Charges of corruption against him in several cases are expected in the first quarter of 2019, and he knows that the chances of his coalition members to support him once he is indicted are slim.
In Israel, even though ministers must resign from office after being indicted, it is unclear whether the prime minister should do so. The last Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, who was under investigation in the last months of his government, resigned before the indictments were filed.
In conclusion, with only 61 members of his coalition, Netanyahu is being held hostage by one of the parties that could threaten to withdraw from the government. Conversely, Netanyahu can find an excuse to separate his coalition and bring the country to polling stations. That's what he did in his previous government. He got rid of two ministers when he wanted to stop a bill that would have a negative impact on his billionaire advocate, Sheldon Adelson. The owner of the Las Vegas casino has launched a free daily newspaper in Israel, Yisrael Hayom (Israel today), which has become the Netanyahu government's voice and the most widely circulated newspaper in the country.
So even if the elections are not called immediately, it's only a matter of time.
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