With 2 MKs down, coalition fears it has lost slim majority

With one Likud MK banned from the floor of the Knesset and another departing political life, the government is fearful it may not be able to muster a majority for parliamentary votes and has pushed off votes on several contentious laws, Army Radio reported Monday.

Likud stalwart and veteran minister Silvan Shalom announced his resignation from politics Sunday, following sexual harassment claims by more than a dozen women, while fellow party member Oren Hazan is currently serving a month-long ban imposed by the Knesset Ethics Committee. Although Hazan can still vote on parliamentary decisions, Likud officials have previously expressed concern that the scandal-plagued freshman MK may skip votes and cause the coalition to lose critical political battles.

The government has been holding onto a razor-thin majority of 61-59 since it was formed earlier this year, but with a two-man shortfall it can now only field just 59 MKs — matching that of the opposition.

Amir Ohana is set to enter the Knesset this week to replace Shalom.

Police have reportedly opened a probe into the complaints against Shalom and are gathering evidence and looking for potential witnesses to testify over the accusations.

Thirteen women have come forward to make allegations against Shalom, though none has apparently filed an official police complaint.

(Update: The allegations against Shalom were not substantiated and the investigation was subsequently closed.)

Hazan, meanwhile, has found himself facing harsh public scrutiny over various reports of wrongdoing, including an incident in November when he was roundly criticized for mocking a disabled fellow MK and earned a rebuke from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

A state comptroller report on party spending during primary campaigns also said Hazan failed to report his expenditure and accused him of lying in an affidavit declaring his expenses, a crime that can carry up to a three-year custodial sentence.

Hazan, who entered politics ahead of the March elections, was at the center of a number of scandals earlier this year after television exposés accused him of sexual assault, soliciting prostitutes and using crystal meth when he managed a European casino. Hazan denied the allegations at the time, but the report prompted Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein to block Hazan, a deputy speaker, from presiding over any Knesset meetings “until further notice.”