THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Benjamin Netanyahu's fragile ruling coalition is facing its sternest test since coming to power last year after disgruntled cabinet colleagues threatened to bring down the government.
The Israeli prime minister was allegedly treated to a barrage of taunts and insults from disgruntled members of the hardline Yisrael Beiteinu party during a stormy cabinet meeting to approve the country's 2010 budget.
The confrontation represented an escalation in a row that began when the party's leader, Avigdor Lieberman, was deliberately excluded from secret talks with Turkey last month despite holding the position of foreign minister.
The snub led to a rift between Mr Netanyahu and his mercurial coalition partner, who leads the second largest party in the government after the prime minister's Likud.
Having apologised, Mr Netanyahu may have thought that matters had been resolved -- until he headed into a 24-hour meeting on Friday to discuss the budget.
According to Israeli newspapers, one of Yisrael Beiteinu's five cabinet ministers launched into a tirade at the manner in which Mr Lieberman was being sidelined, saying: "You deceived us. That's not the way to work with us."
Another party official said that Mr Netanyahu was "expediting the end of his days as prime minister."
"If he does not learn to keep his word and to respect his most loyal partners, he will fall from power," the Maariv newspaper quoted the official as saying. >>> Adrian Blomfield in Jerusalem | Sunday, July 18, 2010
