Netanyahu Urges 'Right-Wing Knesset Members to Oppose Dangerous Left-Wing Gov't' Announced by Lapid

This is the first announcement by Israel's long-serving prime minister, since the opposition announced a new Israeli coalition government. Last month, Netanyahu failed to form a new government following the fourth vote in just two years.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called on all of the right-wing members of the Knesset to oppose the new government presented by Knesset opposition leader Yair Lapid to President Reuven Rivlin late Wednesday.

In his first tweet since the announcement that could see Netanyahu unseated as prime minister, he lashed out at the "dangerous left-wing government", accusing Naftali Bennett, Netanyahu's potential successor, of "selling" the Negev Desert region to the United Arab List, an Arab political party known as Ra'am in Israel.

June 3, 2021

For the first time ever, the United Arab List has joined a coalition. According to the party, Bennett and Lapid promised to grant official status to Bedouin settlements in the Negev Desert.

Israel's New Government

Late on Wednesday, Yair Lapid, the leader of Israel's largest opposition party Yesh Atid, notified President Reuven Rivlin of successfully managing to form a government coalition.

According to the Basic Law on Government, the head of the Yamina national conservative alliance, Naftali Bennett, will serve as Israel's prime minister for two years before being replaced by Lapid as per a rotation basis enshrined in the law, if the coalition holds.

Lapid was picked to form a new government by Israeli President Reuven Rivlin in May, after Netanyahu was unable to form a government in time following the 23 March vote.

Over the course of the past two years, Israel has held four parliamentary elections yet the winning parties proved unable to form a stable coalition.