JSC Vote May Exacerbate Tensions In Netanyahu's Coalition Regardless Of Outcome

With the voting on Knesset representatives in the Judicial Selection Committee (JSC) already underway, attention should be drawn to the implications for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's fractured governing coalition, whose cohesiveness may suffer regardless of the outcome of the vote.

• The decision to vote against both candidates for the JSC came on the back of tensions surrounding the initial plan to back one opposition and one coalition candidate. At the end of the day, the Prime Minister failed to ensure sufficient discipline within his bloc and was forced to make an about-face.
• His decision provoked backlash from moderate Likud MKs, as well as the party's candidate to the JSC Tally Gotliv, who refused to pull out of the race. Reports were doing the rounds that Netanyahu lost his temper during talks with the rebel MK, which she later attributed to false leaks from the Prime Minister's Office (although he "did raise his voice and ask me to remove my candidacy").
• During last-minute talks, Netanyahu had to persuade hardliners to withdraw their candidates, which Otzma Yehudit leader Itamar Ben Gvir was very reluctant to do. If some Likud MKs defy the his order and vote in favour of both candidates (unlikely scenario), Otzma Yehudit would not have its representative in the JSC, which would violate its coalition agreement with Likud and undermine Netanyahu's credibility.
• On the other hand, a rejection of both candidates could sink negotiations with the opposition on the contentious judicial overhaul, alienating moderate Likud MKs from the Prime Minister, provoking another wave of street protests and generating another government crisis.