Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has been put through the wringer this past week.
First came intense efforts to stem the massive political bleeding of his Yamina party and governing coalition following the stunning resignation of coalition whip Knesset member Idit Silman. Silman announced that she was quitting the coalition, to join the opposition, robbing Bennett of his fragile Knesset majority. Three days of frantic negotiations to appease and/or threaten other would-be defections to the opposition staunched the political bleeding, at least for now. For the moment, no other Yamina member has announced his/her defection.
