On Monday evening, as Avigdor Lieberman was finally sworn in as Defence Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu completed his mission to broaden his tiny coalition.
In the process he had lost two ministers, gained three new ones and added five new Knesset members to the coalition. The government now has 66 MKs backing it, a more comfortable margin than before, but it is hardly stable.
Most of the Likud MKs endorsed the deal with Mr Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu.
However, there remains prominent internal opposition to the move, led by the now ex-defence minister Moshe Yaalon, who resigned two weeks ago.
Mr Yaalon has been joined by MK Benny Begin, who abstained in the Knesset vote on the coalition deal and called those backing the replacement of the defence minister the "stupid right wing".
Another casualty on the government's benches was environment minister Avi Gabai, a member of the Kulanu Party, who resigned in protest over Mr Lieberman's appointment.
Two more new ministers sworn in on Monday were Yisrael Beitenu's Sufa Landwer, who will serve as Immigration Minister, and veteran Likudnik Tzachi Hanegbi, who will have to make do for now with being a minister without portfolio.
Mr Netanyahu continues to hold four additional ministries vacant, including the lucrative foreign affairs and economics briefs, ostensibly as a potential prize for Zionist Union if it joins the coalition. While party leader Isaac Herzog has said that it is now out of the question, Mr Netanyahu and his Finance Minister, Kulanu leader Moshe Kahlon, are still trying to draw them in.
