As his ruling coalition became a minority in the Knesset, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Israel’s future is in danger.
Bennett said in a statement, “Being responsible for forming a rescue government was a difficult choice, but the country’s future is in danger and we must fight to preserve the unity of our people because we have no other country.”
Bennett’s warning comes as an Arab lawmaker from the leftist Meretz Party, Ghaida Rinawie Zoabi, resigned from the ruling coalition, reducing it to a minority in the Knesset.
As reasons for her resignation, Zoabi cited the government’s hard position on Arab issues, including the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem, the demolition of Arabs’ homes, land confiscation and the controversial citizenship law.
The coalition now has 59 members in the 120-seat Knesset, leaving Bennett’s government on the brink of collapse.
The ruling coalition was formed of 61 Knesset members, comprising eight Israeli parties, in June 2021.
The current government has succeeded in several areas, including confronting the COVID-19 pandemic, unemployment, and violence among others, Bennett claimed. He also credited his government for decreasing the number of murder cases in the Arab community by 30 percent.
The withdrawal of Zoabi is the second since lawmaker Idit Silman from the right-wing Yamina Party quit the coalition in April.
