The US administration wishes to drive a wedge between the government and Israeli society using Gantz, says Smotrich. Knesset discusses the issue of the haredi IDF draft on Monday.
The level of distrust and political maneuvering meant that "the government has exhausted its potential," and that it was time for an election, Liberman said.
Facing Ashdod's incumbent mayor, Yechiel Lasri, are the duo Shimon Katznelson and Barak Seri.
According to the source, there are many young haredi men who are not studying in yeshivot, and can provide much needed manpower for the IDF without it even having to draft yeshiva students.
DIPLOMATIC AFFAIRS: Yisrael Beytenu leader believes two-state idea is dead, war in North inevitable, Netanyahu must be replaced now without elections.
This vote symbolically marked the moment when politics fully reemerged in the Knesset amid the ongoing fighting.
Lapid's comments highlighted the differences of opinion among Israel's opposition parties about holding an election during wartime.
"This shows how much pressure Netanyahu is under...we will not be the ones to save him," Lapid's faction wrote in reaction.
The departure of Foreign Minister Eli Cohen is symptomatic of a neglect that the ministry has faced for decades.
While the votes for Labor almost doubled since last week, they would still not get enough to cross the threshold.
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