Netanyahu escalates against new government, 'biggest electoral deceit'

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, commenting on the formation of  Naftali Bennett's and Yair Lapid's government by saying that "We are witnessing an election deceit the likes of which has never happened."

He added, "People feel—justifiably so—that they have been conned," indicating that the upcoming government "will not be able to stand up to the American requests to freeze the settlement process, and it will not dare to carry out operations in the heart of Iran nor launch military operations in Gaza."

Netanyahu stressed, during a Likud session in Knesset, that, unlike Naftali Bennett, "We never agreed to give Mansour Abbas Palestinian autonomy in the Negev, and not once did we agree to form a government with him and give him the chairmanship of the Internal Affairs and Environment Committee."

Israeli KAN mentioned that the text of the coalition agreement between Lapid and the head of the United Arab List, Mansour Abbas, stipulates that the Palestinian villages in the Negev will be recognized. 

Against the backdrop of threats received by Yamina party members since they announced they are joining the Change Bloc, Netanyahu condemned "any form of incitement and violence."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on right-wing Knesset members to oppose the incoming government, calling it a "dangerous left-wing government," urging MPs to withhold approval of the government, which begins today.

Earlier, Shin Bet security agency Director Nadav Argaman warned of political assassinations in light of the division, adding that the heated debate "may allow violent and illegal activities that are likely to even harm lives."

In a related context, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Netanyahu "is trying to thwart the formation of the so-called government of change in Israel, by blowing up the situation in Al-Quds and escalating the aggression against its holy sites."

The ministry accused him of "trying to repeat the experience he had in the last round of conflict, by instigating the exit of the so-called provocative flag march, and the continued tightening of the siege on Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, turning it into a military barracks, and suppressing citizens, solidarity activists, and journalists."