The resignation of Coalition Chairwoman Idit Silman means that Israeli politics might once again devolve into chaos, with no single political figure being able to muster enough support to lead a government.
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The balance of power now lies with Arab MKs: the Joint Arab List, which is in the opposition, and the Arab faction Ra'am, which is in the coalition. Neither side of the political divide can move any measure through the Knesset without the Arab MKs' support. In fact, the era of Zionist parties operating without relying on Arab MKs is over.
The Arab MKs may comprise only 10 members, but the coalition cannot survive without at least some of them supporting it. Likewise, the opposition cannot topple a government without the votes of Arab MKs.
Ra'am has nothing to gain by leaving the coalition and ushering in another general election. It knows it might lack a voter base since it has no real record to run on apart from promises of major budgets.
The Joint Arab List is fighting a two-front war. It cannot fall in line with the opposition parties and agree to align with Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu, but neither can it support the government. It also wants to avoid handing Ra'am any meaningful achievement and reward its leader Mansour Abbas for his historic decision to join the Bennett coalition – a first for an Arab party.
The Joint Arab List, despite its public statements on being ready for another march to the polls, will face a backlash if it is perceived as pushing for an election that would make Netanyahu prime minister again.
The bottom line is that Israeli politics is now at a point where it cannot ignore the Arab MKs. They may not be the dominant power brokers, but they are definitely a key component.
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