Israel headed to elections as Netanyahu’s coalition dissolves parliament

[Right_in_Virginia]

Israel headed to elections as Netanyahu’s coalition dissolves parliament
The Washington Post, Dec 24, 2018, Ruth Eglash

JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition announced Monday plans to dissolve the country’s parliament and hold a snap general election in April, after his government was significantly weakened more than a month ago when a key coalition partner resigned.

The departure of Avigdor Liberman as defense minister on Nov. 14 left Netanyahu’s government teetering on the edge with a single-seat majority in Israel’s 120-seat parliament, the Knesset.

As the government struggled to pass legislation important to each of Netanyahu’s five coalition partners, questions were also raised over the chances of a formal indictment against the longtime Israeli leader in at least three criminal bribery cases against him.

On Monday, it was an attempt to pass controversial legislation aimed at drafting ultra-Orthodox Jews into the military that ultimately prompted the 61-member coalition to agree unanimously that this government could no longer survive under the current circumstances.


More:  https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/israel-headed-to-elections-as-netanyahus-coalition-dissolves-parliament/2018/12/24/4aa6fa2c-077d-11e9-88e3-989a3e456820_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.eefa196396dc

[Right_in_Virginia]

The collapse of this coalition has been coming for a while.  The miracle is how long it lasted.