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JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been confronted with calls by his coalition partners to hold early elections on Thursday, a day after the resignation of the defense minister has left the government with a slim majority. possible.
PHOTO FILE: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Attends Israeli Prime Minister David Ben Gurion's Annual Commemorative Ceremony at His Grave Site in Sde Boker, Israel, November 14, 2018. REUTERS / Ronen Zvulun / File Photo
Avigdor Lieberman resigned on Wednesday for what he called the government's soft policy on cross-border violence against Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.
The loss of the five seats of the Lieberman Israel Beitenu faction leaves Netanyahu with the control of only 61 seats out of 120 in parliament, which suggests elections scheduled for November 2019.
Lieberman's resignation took effect 48 hours after his surrender, which he did early Thursday. Each coalition partner will then have the power to bring down the government.
To avoid a crisis, Netanyahu had talks with ministers to stabilize the government.
Israeli Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, who heads the centrist Kulanu party, told Netanyahu at its meeting that the move would be to establish a new stable government.
"The best thing for Israeli citizens and the economy is to hold elections as soon as possible," Kahlon said in a statement. His appeal was echoed by Interior Minister Aryeh Deri, who heads the ultra-Orthodox Shas faction.
Adding to the pressure, Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett, who heads the far-right Jewish Home party, demanded that the defense file be handed to him.
Lieberman and Bennett, who rival Netanyahu's Likud for right-wing voters, spoke out in favor of harsh Israeli military action against Hamas-dominated Islamists in Gaza.
Israel has waged three wars in Gaza since Hamas seized control of the enclave in 2007.
"I asked the Prime Minister yesterday to appoint me Minister of Defense to fulfill a single goal – that Israel will start winning again," Bennett said at a conference near Tel Aviv.
Jewish Home said on Wednesday that without the defense, there would be no point in keeping the government together.
However, Bennett did not repeat this in his remarks on Thursday, nor sent an explicit ultimatum to Netanyahu, with whom he is scheduled to meet on Friday.
It was not clear whether Netanyahu would opt for early elections.
Netanyahu is being investigated for bribery and rumors are mounting that he could carry the ballot to win a renewed term before Israel's attorney general decides to indict him.
A poll released Wednesday by Israeli TV channel Hadashot showed that the Likud lost a seat from 30 to 29 after months of investigations revealing its rise. Only 17% of respondents were satisfied with Netanyahu's policy in Gaza.
Reporting by Maayan Lubell, edited by William Maclean
