The appointment would have stabilized Israel’s coalition government against the opposition, as the two are currently deadlocked at 60 Knesset seats each.

Deputy Religious Services Minister Matan Kahana during a plenum session in the assembly hall of the Israeli parliament on May 16, 2022. (photo credit: OLIVIER FITOUSSI/FLASH90)
Deputy Religious Services Minister Matan Kahana during a plenum session in the assembly hall of the Israeli parliament on May 16, 2022. (photo credit: OLIVIER FITOUSSI/FLASH90)

 

The appointment of MK Matan Kahana as Minister of Religion was not approved early Tuesday morning after a majority vote was not obtained in the Knesset plenum.

The appointment would have stabilized Israel’s coalition government against the opposition, as the two are currently deadlocked at 60 Knesset seats each.

55 MKs voted in favor of Kahana’s appointment and 55 MKs, including MK Idit Silman, voted against.

Silman left Israel’s coalition government in April – a move that threatened to bring down the government entirely, as a government can technically continue on with a deadlocked 60-60 Knesset, though will find it practically impossible to get anything done and will eventually fail.

 Yamina MK Idit Silman at the Knesset, April 25, 2022. (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
Yamina MK Idit Silman at the Knesset, April 25, 2022. (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)

 

Kahana announced to Bennett that he had decided to resign from his position as Minister of Religion in May and return to being an MK in order to give the coalition their much-needed 61st Knesset seat. Bennett’s coalition government ostensibly knew that there was a high chance that Kahana’s appointment would fail, but insisted on holding the vote to allow the right to advance the move against Silman and her opposition.

As reported by The Jerusalem Post