In the midst of a political outbreak, coalition government in Israel is facing a challenge and cards are being reshuffled in a way that could change the whole face of the Israeli government.
One of the main tenets of Israel’s parliamentary politics is its coalitional patterns which is an apparent reflection of the dividedness of the Israeli society. Rifts between the religious and the secular sections of the Israeli society, as well as those between Ashkenazi and Mizrahi Jews are shaping factors in Israeli politics. The secular-religious rift in the Israeli society and politics has recently been an important factor. While concessions given to ultra-orthodox Jews generate an active reaction from secular Israelis, these concessions provide Israeli politicians a helping hand by guaranteeing the coalitional support of religious parties. While politicians rely on the votes of secular Israelis, they also appear to be in dire need of support from the ultra-orthodox religious parties. In this paper, the reasons behind that paradoxical situation is analysed on the basis of religious-secular rift in Israel and its influence on Israeli coalitional patterns.
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