Netanyahu says coalition with Arab parties would ‘dismantle’ Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Saturday that a potential coalition between opposition parties and Arab lists would "dismantle" the country. His remarks came ahead of Israeli President Isaac Herzog's announcement of who would be tasked with forming the next government following last week's election, with Netanyahu's rivals optimistic about removing the longest-serving prime minister.

The opposition, led by Gadi Eisenkot, has opened the door to a coalition with the ultra-Orthodox party Raam and the moderate Islamist party Raam, which could give Eisenkot the numbers to form a government dependent on Islamists. Speaking of a similar scenario to parts of Europe, Netanyahu stated that such a government would "dismantle" the State of Israel from within, describing it as "far worse than that."

While neither side reached a majority in the Oct 27 election, Herzog acknowledged that giving the mandate to Eisenkot would be logical. Netanyahu reiterated his support for a national unity government, but stopped short of claiming he should lead it. In response, Eisenkot's Yashar party called on Netanyahu's allies to form a unity government led by Eisenkot.