Ehud Barak no longer has a majority of Israel’s parliament backing his coalition government. The ultra-Orthodox Shas party has decided to bolt Barak’s government. The party spokesperson says the move is because of the differences over education and welfare issues. It comes as Barak prepares for peace negotiations with both Syria and the Palestinians. It means he’ll go into the negotiations with a minority in parliament, making prospects of gaining lawmakers’ support for any deal more problematic.