Bennett reveals Netanyahu's unusual request
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett revealed in Ashdod that after the 2021 elections, Netanyahu asked him to form a government with the support of Mansour Abbas, despite promises not to cooperate with him. Bennett claims Netanyahu met with Abbas at Balfour, and that the entire Likud was in favor. Bennett admitted he broke his promise but explained it as political necessity.
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, during a visit to Ashdod, revealed an unusual request that he says Benjamin Netanyahu made to him after the 2021 elections. Bennett said that Netanyahu, having received the mandate to form a government but failing to build a coalition with 59 seats, asked him to form a government with the support of Mansour Abbas, leader of the Arab party Ra'am. Bennett claims Netanyahu met with Abbas three or four times at the Prime Minister's residence in Jerusalem, and that the entire Likud was in favor. Bennett, who had seven seats, initially gave his votes to Netanyahu, but when the mandate passed to him, he faced a choice: a fifth election or forming a government with Abbas, breaking his own promise. Bennett admitted he hesitated for a long time but decided given the COVID situation and the lack of a budget. He also said that after the government was formed, the rhetoric of the right-wing camp changed: those who previously called Abbas a 'gentleman' began calling him a 'terrorist'.