JERUSALEM: A key Israeli minister said on Monday he will not quit Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government for now despite sharp disagreements, handing the premier a victory and potentially ending a crisis that has threatened to provoke snap elections.

The announcement by Education Minister Naftali Bennett was a dramatic climbdown from his Jewish Home party’s earlier threat to leave the coalition if he was not named defence minister.

Netanyahu has refused to give the high-profile post to Bennett, one of his main political rivals, despite the coalition crisis threatening to topple his government following a controversial Gaza ceasefire.

Bennett, whose far-right party holds eight seats in parliament, said he would give Netanyahu time to correct course on a range of issues as he pushed for an even more hawkish approach toward the Palestinians.

Netanyahu’s current coalition is already seen as the most right-wing in Israel’s history.

“If the prime minister is serious in his intentions, and I want to believe his words from last night, I am saying here to the prime minister we are removing at this moment all of our political demands and will help you in the huge mission of making Israel win again,” Bennett said in a statement to journalists broadcast live on television.

He acknowledged the backlash he may face for backing down from the earlier ultimatum.

“It’s better that the prime minister beats me in a political battle than (Hamas leader Ismail) Haniya beats Israel,” Bennett said in a parliamentary committee room packed with journalists.

Bennett’s comments followed an impassioned address to the nation on Sunday night by Netanyahu.

Netanyahu said he would retain the defence portfolio for now and seek to convince coalition partners to remain in the government.

He said calling early elections would be “irresponsible” due to what he described as a complicated security situation facing the country.

He did not explain why Israel’s security concerns would be more complex now than at other times, saying he could not publicly describe in detail the sensitive moves being taken.

Netanyahu also defended his security credentials, seeking to hit back at criticism of last week’s ceasefire that ended the worst escalation between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza since a 2014 war.

Published in Dawn, November 20th, 2018