Israeli Ruling Coalition Loses Majority as Coalition Chairwoman Quits, Reports Say

TEL AVIV (Sputnik) - The leader of the Israeli governing coalition, Idit Silman, announced her withdrawal from the coalition, leaving it without a majority in the parliament, an Israeli newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Silman decided to withdraw from the coalition due to concerns over Israel losing its Jewish identity, according to the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.

Earlier this week, Silman opposed the order of Israeli Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz to let bread products into hospitals during the Jewish holiday of Passover, also called Pesach, when it is forbidden to eat leavened food. During Pesach, government offices, hospitals, shops and kosher restaurants refrain from selling and consuming leavened food.

In June, the leader of the Yamina right-wing political alliance, Naftali Bennett, was elected the prime minister of Israel. Yair Lapid, the head of Israel's largest opposition party Yesh Atid, will replace him in 2023, under an agreement on a rotation goverment, reached with Bennett.

The coalition that Lapid managed to form following the 24th parliametary elections was named the "change bloc" and is based on a minimum parliamentary majority - 61 parliamentary votes in the 120-seat Knesset.

Elections to the 24th Knesset took place on March 23 last year, and were the fourth consecutive early elections in two years due to the inability to form a sustainable government previously.