Will Benjamin Netanyahu be pushed to the exit?

The head of the radical right-wing Israeli formation Yamina, Naftali Bennett, announced on Sunday (May 30th) his intention to join the camp of the opponent Yair Lapid who is trying to rally a coalition to oust the prime minister from power.

"I am announcing that I will do everything to form a unity government with my friend Yaïr Lapid," declared Naftali Bennett, who for several weeks had cultivated the mystery about his intention to join or not the leader of the opposition who is trying to form a "government of national unity" to end the reign of Benjamin Netanyahu, the longest in the history of the State of Israel.

A "government of national unity"

Opposition leader Yaïr Lapid, head of the Yesh Atid party ("There is a future"), has relaunched in recent days negotiations with the main parties elected to Parliament on March 23, to form a government on a anti-Benjamin Netanyahu program, the most enduring prime minister in the country's history.

>> To see: "Will King Netanyahu survive?"

The mandate Yaïr Lapid received in early May from President Reuven Rivlin, after Prime Minister Netanyahu's failure to form a coalition, runs until Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. local time.

After weeks marked by the 11-day war between ruling Palestinian Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the Hebrew state, tensions in East Jerusalem and clashes in Judeo-Arab towns in Israel, Yair Lapid revived on Friday his offer for a "government of national unity". 

He wrote on Facebook wanting a coalition that says "we are here together, our struggle is common, this country is our common responsibility".

To achieve this, Yaïr Lapid is counting on the support of the left, the center and two right-wing parties, totaling 51 deputies.

But in this final sprint, he still had to convince the radical right-wing Yamina formation of Naftali Bennett (7 seats) and the Arab deputies to join him to obtain a majority of 61 seats in the Knesset.

It is now almost done.

With AFP

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