In photos taken just after the government dissolved itself in the very early hours of June 30, the celebrating opposition looked tired but happy. It was after yet another all-nighter of the opposition fighting to take down the coalition.

As they shook hands, their smiles said it all. Opposition head Benjamin Netanyahu and Likud seniors Yariv Levin and Dudi Amsalem mingled with ultra-Orthodox Knesset members Moshe Gafni, Yinon Azoulay and Meir Porush, all congratulating each other.

Clearly, the Likud people knew that if it weren’t for the support they received from ultra-Orthodox parties Shas and United Judaism, the opposition might have crumbled at the beginning of the term. The Likud itself might have also disintegrated.

A senior Likud official who spoke to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity said that ultra-Orthodox political leaders Aryeh Deri, Moshe Gafni, and Yaakov Litzman had made the conditions of their mutual support very clear. “We’re behind you as long as Netanyahu heads the Likud. If the Likud starts playing games and chooses less popular figures as its leaders, such as Yisrael Katz or Yuli Edelstein, they should consider one point: The absolute support of the ultra-Orthodox should not be taken for granted. If that happens, we’ll start looking at what the coalition has to offer.”