Netanyahu: Bennett, Lapid ‘sold out the Negev to Ra’am’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims that the Lapid-Bennett coalition has “sold out the Negev to Ra’am.”

In a social media post, Netanyahu presents a chart he claims compares his own concessions to Ra’am with those of Lapid and Bennett.

The post marks a change of tack for Likud, which until now has claimed repeatedly and consistently that it never negotiated with Ra’am.

Netanyahu claims Lapid and Bennett agreed to cancel the so-called Kaminitz Law, which upped enforcement of building restrictions, while his own agreement with Ra’am does not.

בנט מכר את הנגב לרע״מ!

כל חברי הכנסת שנבחרו בקולות הימין חייבים להתנגד לממשלת השמאל המסוכנת הזאת. pic.twitter.com/HFzxVDqZRZ

— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) June 3, 2021

He claims Lapid and Bennett agreed to recognize “most of the illegal Bedouin settlements in the Negev,” whereas he only agreed to “three alone.”

He claims Lapid and Bennett are handing NIS 52.5 billion in “state funding to the Arab sector,” whereas he only agreed to NIS 15 billion.

And he claims that unlike Bennett and Lapid, he never agreed to let Ra’am be part of a coalition — an incorrect assertion, according to Likud and Ra’am officials last month — but only sought its support for one-off legislation for direct election of a prime minister.