Netanyahu says coalition with Arab parties would ‘dismantle’ State of Israel

Jerusalem (AFP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that a potential coalition between opposition parties and Arab lists would lead to the collapse of the country.

The statement came on the eve of the announcement by Israeli President Isaac Herzog of who will be tasked with forming the next government following last week’s vote, with Netanyahu’s rivals increasingly optimistic about removing the country’s longest-serving prime minister.

The opposition, led by Gadi Eisenkot, a former military chief and political newcomer who has sought to appeal to secular and liberal Israelis, has opened the door to a once improbable alliance with ultra-Orthodox Jews.