Israeli far-right politician Naftali Bennett, a kingmaker whose Yamina party has six key seats in the Israeli parliament, has said he would join a governing coalition that could end the rule of the country’s longest-serving leader, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“It is my intention to do my utmost in order to form a national unity government along with my friend Yair Lapid, so that, God willing, together we can save the country from a tailspin and return Israel to its course,” Bennett said on Sunday after meeting with his own party, Yamina. Bennett’s announcement is a key step towards ending Netanyahu’s 12-year rule.
He said he had made the decision to prevent the country from sliding into a fifth consecutive election in just more than two years. Minutes after Bennett’s announcement, Netanyahu lashed out, calling the plan “a danger for the security of Israel”.
Netanyahu accused Bennett of betraying the Israeli right-wing and urged nationalist politicians who have joined the coalition talks not to establish what he called a “leftist government”. Bennett, a Netanyahu aide-turned-rival, said there was no feasible way for the right-wing to form a governing majority in parliament. “A government like this will succeed only if we work together as a group,” he said, adding that everyone “will need to postpone fulfilling all their dreams. We will focus on what can be done, instead of fighting all day on what’s impossible”.
Each of the past four elections was seen as a referendum on Netanyahu, who has become a polarising figure as he stands trial on corruption charges with each ending in deadlock.
