Rumors of early elections in Israel

Washington Post reported:

It’s been less than two years since the Israeli government, a coalition of centrist and right-wing parties, was sworn into office.

But for the past few weeks, talk of the country heading once again to the polls has filled the air — and the airwaves.

Hungry for any scrap of evidence that elections might be on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s mind, Israeli journalists theorized Monday that his high-profile appearance Sunday night at a key soccer match between Israel’s national team and Bosnia was a sure sign he is about to dissolve the government and launch a campaign.

To add further evidence, Israeli news media reported Monday that Netanyahu had called and then suspiciously canceled an “emergency” meeting of his Likud party that was aimed at discussing the possibility of early elections.

The reports followed weeks of squabbling among various coalition members, highlighting the serious political divisions that make Netanyahu’s government appear more unstable than ever.

The unrest seemed to reach a boiling point Sunday, when centrist Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, with support from members of the country’s second biggest party, Yesh Atid, managed to stall a cabinet committee vote on a bill defining Israel as a 'Jewish state'.

The move sparked criticism from members of Netanyahu’s party and other coalition figures, who accused Livni and the Yesh Atid party chairman, Finance Minister Yair Lapid, of conspiring to break up the government and force early elections.

Such a step by Bennett could put even more pressure on the government as it attempts to push the 2015 state budget through parliament.