One of the most pressing questions facing Israeli politics today is whether opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu will join forces with Defense Minister Benny Gantz to form a new government.

The chances may seem slim, but the possibility is hanging over the current government, causing consternation among the coalition’s leaders, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and his alternate, Yair Lapid. With their government battered by a series of defections, the two have been spending the last few weeks doing everything they can to restore stability. Somewhat miraculously, the coalition is still hobbling along.

The first defection was Knesset member Idit Silman of Bennett’s own party, who left the coalition in April. Then Ghaida Renawie Zoabi of Meretz quit the coalition last week, only to withdraw her letter of resignation. The next in line was Michael Biton of Gantz’s Blue and White.

Biton has a longstanding reputation as a principled legislator who focuses on social issues and currently chairs the prestigious Finance Committee. On May 25, he announced that he would stop voting with the coalition except to support it in no-confidence motions. He cited a series of economic reforms in agriculture and public transportation made over his head. He contends that these reforms, which were championed by the Labor Party, will hurt farmers and the weaker sectors of the population.