Bennett and Gantz
Bennett and Gantzצילום: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90

The Israeli government’s top leaders have shelved all travel plans amid the ongoing coalition crisis, and are expected to remain at home to help maintain unity within the government and prevent further defections, Israel Hayom reported Tuesday.

The report cited a senior official who said Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, and Defense Minister Benny Gantz will remain in Israel to shepherd the government through its current crisis.

“They don’t want to be abroad for any period of time when the situation is this sensitive,” the official was quoted as saying.

Bennett and Gantz had been planning a state visit to India earlier this month, ahead of the Passover festival.

Both leaders cancelled their plans, however, following a spate of deadly terror attacks and subsequent Arab rioting in Jerusalem. Neither has rescheduled trips to India.

Representatives for Bennett, Lapid, and Gantz confirmed that the current political situation is ‘sensitive’, and that they are thus currently unable to travel abroad.

Foreign Minister Lapid’s office added that he will only travel abroad if there is a sudden, urgent need to do so.

With the departure of coalition chairwoman Idit Silman (Yamina) from the government, the coalition has lost its majority in the Knesset, and coalition officials fear further defections from Yamina.

Members of the United Arab List (Ra’am) have also to bolt the coalition, though party chairman MK Mansour Abbas managed to avert an immediate withdrawal from the government, convincing the party’s spiritual advisors to call for suspending the UAL’s participation in the coalition, rather than its full departure.