On Thursday, an Israeli Knesset member announced her departure from the ruling coalition government, according to Israeli media.
Ghaida Rinawie Zoabi, an Arab politician from the leftist Meretz Party, was quoted by the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (KAN) as saying she will not “back a coalition that is disgracefully tormenting the society I come from.”
Zoabi cited the Israeli government’s tough stance on Arab issues, such as the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem, the demolition of Arab homes, land confiscation in the Negev region of southern Israel, and the controversial citizenship law as reasons for her decision.
According to an Israeli daily newspaper, Zoabi’s move surprised everyone because she did not even inform her party of her resignation.
The action puts Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s coalition on the verge of collapsing, with only 59 members in the Knesset’s 120-seat chamber.
In June 2021, the coalition was formed by 61 Knesset members representing eight Israeli parties.
Zoabi’s exit is the second since right-wing Yamina Party MP Idit Silman left the alliance in April.
