Likud charges Bennett ‘rushing to a left-wing government’

After losing a key vote yesterday that likely ends Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s realistic chances of forming a coalition, the ruling Likud party accuses Yamina party leader Naftali Bennett of “rushing to a left-wing government” with the left-wing Meretz party and with backing by the majority-Arab Joint List.

Upping the pressure on Bennett, Likud adds in a statement that “whoever wants a right-wing government doesn’t vote against the right and with the left-wing Knesset bloc as Bennett did last night, and doesn’t negotiate with it over the distribution of roles to [Meretz leader] Nitzan Horowitz, [Labor chief] Merav Michaeli and [Labor No. 7] Ibtisam Mara’ana.”

Bennett in fact voted with Likud on the key vote on the makeup of the Knesset’s Arrangements Committee (the opposition won that vote thanks to the Islamist Ra’am party). But after that, Yamina voted with the opposition on appointing deputy Knesset speakers.