After a long period in which the State of Israel has not passed a budget, and after the previous government disbanded for this reason, this week the state budget will reach its final stretch - approval in the second and third readings in the Knesset.
This is a fateful vote not only in the economic aspect of transferring a budget to the state but also in the political aspect, because if the state budget does not pass - the government falls.
The tension in the coalition is great, as one MK voting against the coalition is enough to topple the government. This is because MK Amichai Chikli of Yamina intends to vote against the budget, and thus the balance of power leading up to the vote on the budget will be 61 in favor of the budget and 59 against.
The Israel Hayom newspaper reported that those who were perceived as the weakest link in terms of the government were members of the United Arab List- a party composed of various forces, some of which have their own interests. Accordingly, the government is preparing a response to a scenario in which one of the members of United Arab List "ditches" the coalition discipline, and may conduct a quiet dialogue with the members of the Joint List, also a party with rifts, so that they will be absent if necessary.
In any case, all eyes will be on the Knesset, where discussions on the Arrangements Law and the state budget will begin on Tuesday morning. The coalition hopes to finish voting by the weekend.
In recent days, the coalition has been working on "maintaining" the members, with the intention of creating uniform discipline and checking that no Knesset member can "ditch" them at the last minute. Coalition chairman Idit Silman (Yamina) held talks last week with many Knesset members among the coalition partners to ensure everyone's vote.
The main concern in the coalition is not necessarily a rebellious Knesset member, but mainly a technical human error in the moment of truth of the votes, which may tip the scales.
The opposition hopes to find someone to vote against the coalition even though the chances are slim, and hopes for a human error right at the moment of truth. The opposition intends to exhaust the coalition in long speeches into the night, thus making the coalition members tired, confused, and mistake-prone.
Either way, the government is determined to pass the budget. In the last two weeks, Bennett has asked all government partners to calm the personal or ideological debates between the parties until the budget is passed. Thus, for example, Bennett himself refrained from addressing the issue of the "Netanyahu Law" promoted by Gideon Sa'ar, even though his faction member, Ayelet Shaked, opposes it, until after the budget is passed.
The embarrassing recordings published last week on Channel 12, in which Shaked is heard attacking Lapid and Gantz, and Bennett's assessment that the rotation will not materialize, were also addressed by Lapid - who claimed that these were attempts to prevent the budget transfer.
On Friday, Lapid published a Facebook post, in which he wrote: "We have a goal. We will not be moved from it. Not due to leaks and slanders, not in secret recordings, not in attempts to quarrel. The goal is too important: to work for the citizens of Israel. To transfer a budget to put the country on track after years of neglect. "