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JERUSALEM (AP) – Israel has avoided early elections after a key coalition partner in the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that he would not withdraw his party, leaving the coalition intact despite a crisis triggered by a violent outburst of violence against Gaza militants.
Education Minister Naftali Bennett said his radical Home Jewish party would give Netanyahu a new opportunity to tackle the security problems facing Israel, including threats from Gaza and Lebanon, which he wished to see dealt with more firmly.
"I say to the Prime Minister here: we are withdrawing all our political demands and we will keep abreast of this great mission of getting Israel to win again," he said.
"If the government really starts to get on the right track, acting like a true right-wing government, it's worth trying," he added. "The ball is in the prime minister's court."
Bennett had already threatened to resign and his face calmed the most serious crisis that the Israeli government has known since its formation in 2015. He acknowledged that the turnaround could hurt him politically, but felt that it was in the country's interest to give Netanyahu one last chance.
While this measure delays early elections for the moment, it keeps the ruling coalition on a fragile course, with only a slim majority of 61 seats in the 120-seat Israeli parliament.
The sudden crisis of the coalition was triggered by an Israeli botched raid on Gaza last week, which has resulted in the most violent fighting between Israeli militants and Gaza since the 2014 war.
Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who had called for a much stronger response to the wave of rocket fire, resigned to protest the ceasefire that ended the fighting. Bennett threatened to block the government if he was not appointed defense minister, told Netanyahu on Sunday that he was taking charge.
Netanyahu has been sharply criticized for accepting the ceasefire, particularly from inside his own political base and in the southern Israeli workers' towns hit by rockets and which are usually the fiefdoms. from his party, the Likud.
But in a passionate speech on Sunday, announcing his new role as Defense Minister, Netanyahu sought to brand his security credentials against critics while accusing his coalition partners of attempting to defend himself. impose early elections at a sensitive time for the security of Israel.
He repeated this statement on Monday, saying it would be "irresponsible" to dissolve the government and call early elections in a tense security environment.
Netanyahu would have entered any campaign weakened by the recent outbreak of Gaza, but comforted by the absence of a real opponent against its leaders.
Most opinion polls, including those after the crisis began, show that Netanyahu sits easily re-elected, which would secure him a place in Israeli history as the longest serving ruler in power. the country.
According to polls, the political map would not change much compared to the current map, in which one of Israel's harshest governments faces a fragmented opposition unable to pose a serious challenge.
But Netanyahu may be facing a challenge to his power by other means, including a possible indictment for corruption that could put him out of business.
The police recommended that he be charged with corruption and breach of trust in two cases and questioned him at length. The country looks forward to the Prosecutor General's decision whether or not to lay charges.
Netanyahu angrily rejected the accusations against him, describing them as part of a media-orchestrated witch hunt and obsessed with his dismissal.
