Israeli coalition’s fragile unity holding ahead of budget vote (Mazal Mualem, Al Monitor)

Barring any surprises, on Nov. 5, the Knesset should pass the state budget for 2021-2022. It will be a major milestone for the coalition, ushering in a long period of political stability and reducing the chances that the opposition could topple the government from the outside.

The last time the government approved a budget was March 2018, under then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. For the next three and a half years, Israel continued to operate under the same budget. Amid a chronic political crisis, Netanyahu decided not to pass a new budget to prevent Defense Minister Benny Gantz from being replacing him as prime minister in accordance with their rotation agreement.

Israeli coalition’s fragile unity holding ahead of budget vote – Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East