On Sunday (Monday AEST) he vowed to work to bring down the new government as soon as it was sworn in. “We will strongly oppose the formation of this dangerous government of fraud and surrender,and if,God forbid,it is established - we will overthrow it very quickly,” he said.
He added that the “obligation to calm tensions and to restrain the discourse” fell on the shoulders of the politicians and religious leaders.
Prospects for violence:Israeli soldiers at Hashalom train station in Tel Aviv.Credit:Bloomberg
Supporters and members of the “change government” have faced protests and intense threats in the week since the coalition was announced.
The Al Jazeera media network said one of its reporters,Givara Budeiri,had been assaulted and arrested by Israeli police while covering a protest there. A police spokesperson claimed that Budeiri had assaulted officers and had refused to identify herself.
Netanyahu earlier repeated accusations the coalition was the result of “the greatest election fraud” in the history of democracy. Hefocused his allegations on a broken campaign promise from Bennett,who had pledged not to partner with left-wing,centrist and Arab parties.
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Hours after those comments on Sunday,Naftali Bennett,a nationalist set to replace him as prime minister,called on Netanyahu not to leave “scorched earth” behind and accept that “people are allowed to establish a government - even if you don’t head it”.
On Wednesday,Bennett announced with opposition leader Yair Lapidthat they had formed a governing coalition with factions from across the political spectrum following an inconclusive March 23 election,Israel’s fourth in two years.
Under a rotation deal,Bennett will serve first as prime minister,followed by Lapid.
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Netanyahu’s tenure has beenclouded by a corruption trial,in which he has denied any wrongdoing,but he has won praise at home and abroad for Israel’s quick rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations.
The prospective new government caps political jockeying since the election. People angry at the planned alliance have held protests outside the homes of opposition politicians,whose security has been beefed up after threats on social media.
While condemning violence and incitement,Netanyahu,71,repeated his designation of the Lapid-Bennett coalition as a leftist alliance that would put Israel at risk.
He said the diverse partnership would be unable to stand up to Washington over Iran’s nuclear program or confront Gaza’s Hamas militant group that fought with Israel for 11 days last month before a fragile ceasefire went into effect.
Bennett,who heads the far-right Yamina party and advocates annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank,said Netanyahu’s description of the coalition as being “extreme-leftist” was “another lie”.
The Telegraph,London;Reuters