Bennett loyalist quits cabinet in effort to stabilize coalition

yamina’s matan Kahana, a close ally of prime minister naftali Bennett, resigned from his role as religious services minister on Friday – because Bennett wanted the politician closest to him to help him in the Knesset.

on sunday, when his resignation takes effect, Kahana will rejoin the Knesset – which he quit upon taking the ministerial role as part of the norwegian Law that allows ministers to vacate their Knesset spot and allow the next candidate on the party list to enter. the law allows ministers to return to the Knesset if they quit the cabinet at the expense of the last mK who entered.

mK yomtob Kalfon, who will leave the Knesset, was repeatedly accused of negotiating with the Likud to follow former coalition chairwoman idit silman and defect to the opposition. But Kalfon vigorously denied such charges on social media.

“i was a victim of cruel character assassination,” wrote

Kalfon, who pleaded with Bennett on thursday to allow him to remain an mK.

Bennett told Kalfon that Kahana must return to the Knesset “for the stability of the coalition.”

the decision was made after Kalfon was absent from the Knesset plenum for several votes on wednesday and did not answer phone calls. But Kalfon’s associates said he had paired off with a shas mK and had permission to absent himself.

coalition chairman Boaz toporovsky said Kalfon’s departure was “mutually beneficial,” because the right-wing Kalfon wanted to be loyal to his ideology and often did not feel comfortable voting with the coalition on ideological issues.

interior minister ayelet shaked’s associates said she would not follow Kahana and resign. Kahana will officially be appointed a deputy minister in sunday’s cabinet meeting to continue running the religious services ministry and pursue reforms in conversion and kosher certification.

unlike with a minister, appointing a deputy minister does not require Knesset approval. if silman agrees to vote for him and provide a majority in the Knesset, Kahana could return to the cabinet soon.

the opposition accused Bennett of panicking. the Likud said that he was “rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic before it sinks.”

“yamina and the government crumbling has now become full-fledged desertion,” said Likud faction chairman yariv Levin. “once again, i call on the members of Knesset who were elected with right-wing votes – stop embarrassing yourself and put an end to this disgrace. Leave the government, and we will create a right-wing government that will stop the terror and the nationalist rioting in Lod and in the negev.”

earlier Friday, some 400 people marched in support of the current government coalition in Bennett’s home town of ra’anana.

participants walked from Highway 4 to ra’anana park. during the march, there were clashes with protesters who are against the current coalition.

“we call on all the leaders of

Bennett diplomatic adviser, confidante resigns, Page 2

but there were thousands of bullets fired towards us and our vehicles this morning,” he said. “It was indescribable.”

Forces entered the village of Burqin near Jenin in order to arrest Mahmoud al-Deb’i on Friday morning and clashed with armed Palestinians, injuring 13, including two seriously and five moderately.

One of the seriously wounded was identified as Daoud Zubeidi, the brother of Palestinian security prisoner Zakaria Zubeidi. He was transferred to the Ibn Sina hospital in Jenin for medical care and then to a hospital in Israel following a request from the Palestinians.

In response, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) has sent out a rallying cry for all Palestinians to “take to the streets,” according to Palestinian media.

Israeli security forces consisting of troops from Yamam, Border Police and Sayeret Golani encircled two homes, including the family home of al-Deb’i, and applied a “pressure” method to force him to surrender.

Though his home was some 300 meters from where Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed on Wednesday, “it had nothing to do with her death. He was wanted and armed,” the senior officer said, adding that al-Deb’i was constantly firing on forces during the operation.

Also on Friday morning, a Palestinian man was shot by IDF forces near the Jewish community of Beit El on Route 60 after throwing a large block toward an Israeli vehicle and trying to open the driver’s door.

A knife and a Molotov cocktail were found in his possession. He was transferred to the hospital in critical condition.

Elsewhere, the IDF arrested two Palestinian suspects in the early hours of Friday morning in the Kifl Haris village near the Jewish settlement of Ariel, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said.

Forces also confiscated weapons in Hebron.

Tensions have been high between IDF troops and Palestinians as Israel attempts to crack down on terrorism in the West Bank, following a spate of deadly attacks that claimed

the lives of 19 people inside Israel in the past two months.

Some 30 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli security forces, either while committing attacks or during clashes. Several bystanders have also been killed, including Abu Akleh and a teenage girl who was returning home from studying.