During a meeting with his Yamina faction in the Knesset May 9, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett tried to relay a sense of optimism. He wanted to get the message across that everything was under control, now that the Knesset has returned from its spring recess. He did this even as all signs seem to indicate that the current Knesset will be dissolved before long.

With the coalition’s shaky situation looming in the background, the prime minister’s brief statement to his party was sent directly to the media. In it, he said, “The lack of political stability is unhealthy for the country. We all need to right the ship and show responsibility.” Bennett then continued, “We are now in the midst of a significant wave of terrorism, so we must stand united as we confront our enemies. It is, therefore, incumbent upon us to keep the coalition intact. The alternative is to go back to what we had a year ago, and that would be terrible. Remember where we were a year ago, during Operation Guardian of the Walls. We were a divided nation.”

While Bennett spoke about the integrity of the entire coalition, his biggest problem is his own Yamina faction. It is falling apart in his hands. Bennett has already lost two members: Knesset member Amichai Chikli, who was recently declared a “retiree,” and Knesset member Idit Silman, who quit her position as coalition chair last month. In doing this, Silman caused the coalition to lose its narrow, one-seat majority. Officially, she is still a member of Yamina, but she coordinates her activities with the opposition and acts openly against the government. This is a completely anomalous situation, but then again, so is the whole complicated situation facing the prime minister.

Bennett spent most of his faction’s meeting smiling and making jokes. The faction even celebrated Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked’s birthday with cake and sweets. Bennett offered his congratulations, but the sense of harmony within the party was decidedly phony. It could barely hide the fact that Bennett’s coalition and his Yamina party are nearing the end of the road.