Israel's prime minister says he is making a "last effort" to prevent the collapse of his government.

Benjamin Netanyahu says Sunday that it would be wrong to go to early elections during a sensitive time for Israeli security.

The sudden coalition crisis was sparked by the resignation of Israel's hard-line Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who stepped down in protest over a cease-fire reached last week with Gaza militants. Lieberman had demanded a far stronger response to the most massive wave of rocket attacks on Israel since the 2014 Israel-Hamas war.

The departure of Lieberman and his Yisrael Beitenu party leaves the coalition with a one-seat majority in the 120-member parliament. Two other key coalition partners say that makes governing untenable. Netanyahu is trying to convince them to stay.