In another dramatic development that could topple Israel’s already teetering government, a member of Knesset from Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s Yamina party has said he will quit the government unless three demands are met.
The move comes a day after coalition whip Idit Silman announced she is quitting to form a new government, causing the ruling coaltion to lose its 61 seat majority.
Orbach on Thursday said he had a ultimatum comprised of three, right-wing demands: reversing the government’s plan to cancel daycare subsidies for the children of yeshiva students; the authorization of building plans for 4,000 new homes in Jewish settlements in the West Bank; and the connection of settlement outposts to the electricity grid.
The three demands are contentious both within Bennett’s coalition and without. If Bennett approves the first, it will pit him against his coalition partner, Yisrael Beytenu head Avigdor Liberman, who first called to cancel the subsidies.
The other two demands will cause outrage with Bennett’s liberal coalition partners as well as the U.S., which frowns on all settlement activity.
Should Orbach quit, the coalition will automatically be in a 59-61 minority.
Losing its majority means the ruling coalition government would require support in the opposition, led by former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in order to advance any legislation.
Silman surprised Bennett with her decision to resign, which she said was over the “damage” to Jewish identity in Israel.
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