Politics

Lawmakers across the entire political spectrum pay tribute to former Meretz MK Ilan Gilon, who passed away on Sunday at the age of 65.

Unusual situation in which Bennett's home in Ra'anana is also the temporary official residence had resulted in many food orders being billed to the government.

The prime minister, foreign minister and Defense Minister Benny Gantz have reportedly canceled plans for overseas visits in the coming weeks seeking to stay "close to home" as the coalition reels from recent upsets.

Meanwhile, Religious Zionism Party chairman Bezalel Smotrich says, "I know about [defectors] with a certainty. I won't get into names but I can say with certainty that the government is finished."

In an interview with Israel Hayom, Orit Farkash-Hacohen says Israeli public not interested in a fifth round of elections. "It's bad for the public, for the state coffers, for security, and we just need to do everything to avoid it," she says.

However, if an election were held now, the Likud would win by a large margin. Meanwhile, public support for Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu remains strong.

"I told myself, ‘This is the moment,’" former coalition chairwoman tells Times of Israel in exclusive interview.

Were elections held at this time, Israel's Right and Center-Left bloc would still be virtually tied. Most Israelis were displeased with the blow exiting coalition whip Idit Silman dealt the country's brittle political stability.

Move sends ripples through the system, with Bennett and Lapid trying to save their government and the opposition garnering support among lawmakers to establish a potential future coalition of their own.