Netanyahu Calls for Unity Government at Knesset Swearing-In as Bennett Heckles Over Qatari Advisers and October 7 Inquiry
Israel's 26th Knesset was sworn in in Jerusalem on November 10, and caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used his address after the ceremony to call for a national unity government, saying Iran was seeking to revive its nuclear programme and that Israel could face growing international pressure to retreat from its gains and accept a nuclear-armed Iran. He also warned that a government relying on the support of Arab-led parties could not defeat Hamas, describing such parties as supporters of terror.
The speech was interrupted by former prime minister Naftali Bennett, who shouted: 'What about your Qatari advisers? What about investigating October 7?' The Jerusalem Post said the remarks drew an inaudible response from Netanyahu's wife, Sara, and his son Yair, who were in attendance. Gadi Eisenkot, who has been tasked with forming a government, called the address divisive and said Netanyahu had exploited a state occasion, while Democrats leader Yair Golan left the chamber during the speech and some Arab-party lawmakers walked out.
The October 27 election stripped Netanyahu's bloc of its parliamentary majority: his alliance holds 53 of the Knesset's 120 seats, Eisenkot's alliance holds 48 and Arab parties hold 19. President Isaac Herzog tasked Eisenkot with forming a government on November 8; he has until December 6, with a possible extension to December 20. Presiding over the swearing-in, Herzog urged lawmakers to do everything to avoid a repeat election.
Related: Israel's 26th Knesset Opens as Opposition Gathers Signatures to Replace Speaker Ohana
(Source: Reuters)
Source: Reuters
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：以色列前总理 Naftali Bennett 官方肖像（资料图）。照片：Avi Ohayon 摄，CC BY-SA 3.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Official portrait of former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett (file photo). Photo by Avi Ohayon, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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