AIPAC welcomes announcement of new Israeli government

Leading US lobby groups welcome Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid’s announcement late Wednesday that he had succeeded in forming a coalition government to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and while applauding the breadth of parties it includes, also mull what that would mean for its actual operation.

In particular, groups laud the fact that the coalition would include the Islamist Ra’am party, the first time that an Arab party has formally joined an Israeli government.

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, AIPAC, congratulates Lapid and Bennett “for assembling a broad and diverse coalition — spanning the political spectrum of Zionist and Arab parties — to form an Israeli government pending Knesset approval.”

Establishing such a government after the recent conflict with the Gaza Strip, when Palestinian terrorists fired thousands of rockets at Israeli cities, “further demonstrates the resilience of Israel’s democracy and its commitment to democratic values,” AIPAC says in a statement.

“We look forward to further bolstering the bond between the US and Israel as the two democracies work in close partnership to advance our shared interests and values,” the statement says.