In Israel, the executive is politically under pressure.

The Israeli Arab Raam party "suspended" its participation in Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's coalition government on Sunday evening due to violence at the Jerusalem Mosque compound.

Naftali Bennett succeeded Benjamin Netanyahu at the head of the government in June by rallying a motley coalition which brings together left, center and right parties, but also Raam, the first Arab formation in the history of Israel to support a government.

This allowed the coalition to reach 61 deputies, the threshold of a majority in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament.

She had already been weakened a week ago by falling to 60, with the departure of a member of the radical right.

The latter had mentioned the government's decision to authorize the distribution in hospitals of leavened bread during Passover, the Jewish Passover, which is contrary to tradition.

Raam threatens 'collective resignation'

Sunday night's announcement is therefore a very hard blow for Naftali Bennett.

Raam and his four deputies took this decision because of clashes between Israeli police and Palestinian demonstrators which injured more than 150 Palestinians on Friday and around 20 on Sunday at the Esplanade des Mosques, the third holiest site in Islam.

"If the government continues its arbitrary measures" at the esplanade of the Mosques, "we will submit a collective resignation", especially threatened Raam.

This freezing of Raam's participation in the coalition, however, has no short-term effect for the government because the work of the Knesset is suspended until May 5.

The Prime Minister is therefore currently trying to calm things down so that he can keep his chair next month.

His opponents are indeed trying to take advantage of the situation to return to power.

The Likud party of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thus called again on Sunday on the right-wing deputies to leave the coalition to form a “right-wing government” also bringing together the Orthodox Jewish parties and the far right.

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Jerusalem: More than a hundred injured in clashes between demonstrators and police on the Esplanade of the Mosques

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