Ra’am MK goes after ‘racist’ Ben Gvir, Smotrich as Netanyahu’s hopes for right-wing coalition continue to dwindle

Ra’am parliamentarian Waleed Taha calls Religious Zionism party chief Bezalel Smotrich “the scum of the human race,” reducing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s chance of forming a coalition with both parties.

“What would have happened, if dark and damned racist antisemites, the scum of the human race, the mirror image of [Religious Zionism MK Itamar] Ben Gvir and Smotrich, had been elected to parliament in a European country !!! A shame and disgrace to democracy!” Taha writes on Twitter.

Netanyahu likely needs the support of Ra’am and Religious Zionism in order to form a government, but the Islamists and far-right Jewish nationalists both ruled out joining a government supported by the other almost as soon as the dust settled from Israel’s latest election.

Religious Zionism released a video recently comparing Ra’am party chief Mansour Abbas to former Palestine Liberation Organization head Yasser Arafat. “Have you gone nuts?” the video says. “No to a government backed by terror supporters.”

Smotrich indicates in a recent statement that a fifth round of elections in two years would be preferable to a government with Ra’am’s support, Channel 12 says.