Israel's fragile governing coalition appeared closer to collapse on Monday after another lawmaker from Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's right-wing party said he was "no longer part" of the government.
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"I have informed the prime minister that based on the current situation, I am no longer part of the coalition," Yamina MK Nir Orbach said in a statement published by several Israeli media outlets.
No comment was immediately available from Orbach, whose statement said "extremist and anti-Zionist" members of parliament had taken the coalition "in problematic directions".
His statement said he wanted to avoid another election and he would not vote to dissolve parliament, although his departure left Bennett's coalition two short of a majority, with 59 seats in the 120-member Knesset.
A trickle of defections and rebellions in recent weeks has left Bennett's coalition of eight divergent parties without a clear majority to pass legislation, raising questions about how long it can survive.
Bennett's government was sworn in last June after four deadlocked elections that were largely referendums on longtime leader Benjamin Netanyahu's fitness to rule while on trial for corruption. His coalition ranges from dovish liberals to hawkish ultranationalists and a small Islamist faction. They are united in their opposition to Netanyahu but have little else in common.
Despite pledging to avoid dealing with key issues such as Israel's policies concerning the Palestinians, the coalition has struggled to find common ground, and two of its members have bolted. Now the coalition and opposition each hold 60 seats in the 120-member parliament, making passing legislation difficult.
Netanyahu, now leader of the opposition and vowing a comeback although he is on trial for alleged corruption, said the government was holding "one of the longest funerals in history".
"You are not fighting for our country but for your own seat," Netanyahu told Bennett, once one of his closest aides, during a debate in parliament.
Bennett, a former commando and tech millionaire who launched into national politics in 2013, said his government had boosted economic growth, cut unemployment and eliminated the deficit for the first time in 14 years.
"We are fighting for the government these days," he told the Knesset. "We are fighting because the choice is between chaos and stability."
The embattled coalition can remain in power until a majority of lawmakers votes to either dissolve parliament or appoints a different prime minister. Neither scenario appears imminent.
Bennett said in a speech at the Knesset that "this government isn't perfect, but the alternative isn't better."
His main ally, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, wrote on Twitter marking the anniversary of the government's establishment that "this is the only way to protect Israeli democracy and the strength of the state of Israel."
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