Israel: opposition leader calls for a "unity government"

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid on Sunday called for the formation of a "unity government" as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tries unsuccessfully to rally the far-right and Islamists to hold on to the government. power and avoid a new ballot.

After finishing in first place in the legislative elections in March but without enough support to reach a majority (61 of the 120 seats in Parliament), Mr. Netanyahu obtained the mandate of President Reuven Rivlin to try to form the next government.

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As talks escalate behind the scenes, opposition leader centrist Yair Lapid has called for the formation of a “national unity” government to end the crisis.

“

, ”said Mr. Lapid, saying he wanted to avoid holding a fifth ballot.

From April 2019 to March this year, Israel held four legislative elections resulting in either the inability of the political class to agree on a government or, after the third ballot, a unity government that lasted only some months.

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To reach the critical threshold of 61 MPs, Netanyahu and his allies of the ultra-Orthodox parties must gain the support of the radical right-wing Yamina formation, led by Naftali Bennett, the far-right religious Zionist party of Bezalel Smotrich and the party. Islamist Raam de Mansour Abbas.

So far, Netanyahu has faced Smotrich's refusal to join a government backed by the Raam party, whose members have called Mr. Smotrich "racist."

Lapid pleads for a government of union where

".

But by adding the number of deputies from the seven parties to which it refers, the counter points to 58 seats when it takes 61.

"

" added Yaïr Lapid, saying he is open to all options to find a majority - with the exception of an alliance with the “Kahanists”, an extreme right-wing current member of Smotrich's party. To further complicate the equation, Smotrich on the contrary said this weekend to prefer a government including Mr. Lapid to one supported by the Arab parties.