Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu never imagined that he would start 2018 the way he has. His strong, stable coalition had long offered him a sense of quiet security, but now it is falling apart, and he is losing control of its disparate pieces. His political adroitness had previously prevented the kind of crisis that arose Jan. 3 from causing everything to spin out of control. Things went haywire leading up to the vote on the death penalty for terrorists law promoted by the chairman of Yisrael Beitenu, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman.

The scent of new elections is in the air, and Liberman can smell it, as can all the other leaders of the coalition parties. Liberman is now in a race against the clock to play to his base by getting as many achievements under his belt as possible. He therefore has two major pieces of legislation in his sights.

The first is the death penalty law, which would appeal to his right-wing nationalist base. The second is his fierce opposition to the supermarket law, promoted by ultra-Orthodox Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri. The law, which would allow Deri to use his position as interior minister to shut down stores on the Sabbath, is causing an uproar among Yisrael Beitenu's largely secular base. Doing their shopping on the Sabbath is part of their weekly routine.

These two controversial laws have turned the coalition into a battlefield, sending shockwaves to its core. They have even forced Netanyahu to roll up his sleeves and spend long hours in the Knesset, as much as he detests the place.