Israel’s Education Minister Naftali Bennett and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked have left the Jewish Home Party and set up a new political group to contest April’s election.
They believe their New Right Party (Heyamin Hachadash) will stand a better chance of picking up secular votes independently of Jewish Home (Habayit Hayedui), which was originally founded as a successor to the old National Religious Party.
The two ministers’ gambit is the most significant move since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Monday he was going to the polls on April 9.
In the see-saw world of Israeli politics, parties regularly fracture and reform.
A third Jewish Home MK, Shuli Moalem, has left the party, which had eight seats in the Knesset, to join the new faction.
Mr Bennett, a former chief of staff of Mr Netayahu who left the Prime Minister’s Likud party in 2012, said Jewish Home’s influence had ended.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu understood that the wonderful religious Zionism sits in his pocket, that no matter how often and how much he betrays them, they will stay with him,” he said.
“We have great appreciation for Netanyahu’s contribution of many years to the state of Israel, but the entire national camp cannot be held hostage to one personality.”
Polls had predicted that Jewish Home might have increased its seats to nine to 12 in the spring election.
Last month Jewish Home had threatened to leave the ruling coalition if Mr Bennett was not made Defence Minister following the resignation of Avigdor Lieberman and his Yisrael Beteinu Party from the government.
Mr Bennett has reportedly been at odds with others in his party over his wish to have more independence as its chairman.
But the Arutz Sheva radio station reported that after the elections the New Right Party intended to form a single political bloc with Jewish Home in any coalition talks to form a new government.
Meanwhile, former Israel Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren is leaving the centrist Kulanu Party, while Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon, a former Likud MK, will not stand in the election.
One Israeli media agency has reported that Likud is considering lowering the voting threshold for gaining a seat in the Knesset – which is decided on proportional representation - from 3.5 per cent for fear that the fragmenting of the political right might cost it overall influence.
