BICOM

Israeli political commentators Twitter accounts were buzzing last night after a reported threat from Yesh Atid became public. According to the reports, a close associate of Finance Minister Yair Lapid told sources that an ‘alternative coalition’ might be ready to take the premiership from current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Channel 2 News reports that the threat to dissolve the current coalition and replace it with a new government led by Mr Lapid’s party was issued after Likud threatened to delay or gut Lapid’s budget. The budget contains a number of controversial reforms including Lapid’s flagship policy of VAT relief for young first-time homebuyers and a reform of the health service.

While primarily a tactic to secure the passage of his budget, Channel 2 and Haaretz claim that the Likud party and Netanyahu have taken Mr Lapid’s threat seriously.

However, a comment piece by Yossi Verter in Haaretz points out the difficulties involved in constructing an alternative coalition in the current Knesset. It would rely on the current opposition parties, including Labour and Meretz, being willing to accept the relatively-inexperienced Lapid as Prime Minister. They would also likely have to sit in a coalition with Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu party. Yossi Verter also points out that Netanyahu has been able to use the threat of a centre-left Government to shore up the support of the more right-wing members of his coalition.

All of this takes place in the context of heightened instability and tensions in the current Israeli coalition government, with many predicting a general election in the springtime.