“Cannot confront the threat of radical Islam,” says PM Netanyahu, warning against an Arab-backed government in Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that any national government dependent on Arab parties would be incapable of confronting radical Islam, accusing the parties of supporting Islamic…

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that any national government dependent on Arab parties would be incapable of confronting radical Islam, accusing the parties of supporting Islamic terrorism and threatening Israel’s Jewish identity. In his first recorded public statement since last week’s election, PM Netanyahu called for a broad national coalition under his leadership, while accusing Israeli opposition leaders of prioritising their political interests over national security.

PM Netanyahu released the video statement on 4 November, as President Isaac Herzog began consultations with parliamentary factions to determine which political leader should receive the mandate to form the next government. PM Netanyahu’s Likud party is seeking to retain power despite its electoral setback, with coalition negotiations complicated by opposition efforts to replace him. “Radical Islam is the challenge tearing countries in Europe apart today, and it is the challenge threatening us as well,” PM Netanyahu said.

He described the threat as coming from two directions: externally through Iran and its proxies, and internally through Islamist parties that, he alleged, support terrorism. He accused Arab parties of seeking to erase Israel’s Jewish identity and undermine its ability to defend itself. PM Netanyahu argued that a national government relying on their parliamentary support would be unable to confront radical Islam and could endanger the country from within.

“The one government that certainly cannot confront the threat of radical Islam is a government dependent on radical Islam, on these Islamist parties that reject the very existence of a Jewish state,” he said. PM Netanyahu cited statements attributed to representatives of Arab parties, including remarks praising martyrdom, describing Hamas as a charitable organisation and dedicating electoral achievements to members of Hamas’ Nukhba force imprisoned in Israel.

He argued that such positions demonstrated why their parliamentary backing would be unacceptable for a national government responsible for the country’s security. “Not only would such a government fail to fight our enemies, it would simply tear us apart from within. Our very existence is at stake,” PM Netanyahu said. Netanyahu calls for broad national coalition The Prime Minister insisted that a broad coalition led by the Likud party was the only political arrangement capable of addressing Israel’s security challenges.