The Knesset House Committee declared April 25 that Knesset member Amichai Chikli of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s Yamina party would be considered a “retiree.” This form of sanctioning is reserved for extreme situations in which a Knesset member acts against the positions of his or her own party in order to receive benefits such as the promise of a senior position in a rival party. Knesset members declared “retirees” are banned from running in future elections as part of any existing party. In order to run, they must first form a new party.

Shortly before the last election, Chikli was given the number-five slot on Yamina’s party list. He is an educator and right-wing ideologue who served in the IDF. At the time, Bennett described him as an exemplary citizen. But then Bennett decided to join a coalition with leftist factions and even an Arab party, despite previous commitments to voters.

Chikli responded that given these circumstances, he would have to vote against the government. Last June he did so, explaining that he was remaining faithful to his promises to his voters while Bennett was violating his own. Since then, Chikli has voted against the coalition on numerous occasions while maintaining close ties with opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu. Nevertheless, Bennett took no action against him, and the narrow coalition managed to survive.

Then in April, a new political bombshell landed. Knesset member and coalition whip Idit Silman announced that she “can no longer bear the damage to values ​​and flags that are our essence and right” and quit the coalition while remaining a member of Yamina. As a result of her decision, the coalition lost its 61-member majority. There were now fears that other members of her party will follow her lead and bring about the immediate collapse of the current government. After the last election, Bennett headed a party with seven seats. After these two defections, it has only five.