JERUSALEM: Members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition accused the embattled premier yesterday of perpetuating a "fake crisis" over a political dispute to potentially force early elections, reports AFP.

The dispute comes as Netanyahu faces a possible indictment on bribery charges in the coming months.

Polls suggest he could remain prime minister and his Likud party could win the most seats in fresh elections despite police investigations into his affairs. Victory could bolster his political standing ahead of the attorney general's decision on indictments. Netanyahu has said he wants his coalition to last its entire term, which expires in November 2019 -- something he repeated on Sunday. But others in his right-wing coalition suggested he had other motives.

The coalition is at loggerheads over legislation that would exempt young ultra-Orthodox men from military service, a dispute that has threatened to pull the government apart.