Published: 8 April 2021
Last updated: 4 March 2024
Smotrich threatens to expel Arab MK, other Muslims who don’t accept Jewish rule (Times of Israel)
Ahmad Tibi, of the Joint List, responds by calling Religious Zionism party leader a racist — in German
US Jewish organisations decry 'despicable' anti-Arab remarks from Netanyahu ally (Haaretz)
Jewish groups issue sharp rebukes after Bezalel Smotrich says that Arabs who do not recognise Jewish rule over Israel 'will not remain here'
Haredi lashes out at new Reform MK : Reform members less truthful than Christians (Israel National News)
MK Israel Eichler lashed out at MK Gilad Kariv and refused to acknowledge his presence, referring to him as 'evil'
Bennett's strategy: Make Smotrich fall guy for Netanyahu losing power (Jerusalem Post)
Bennett source: ‘We are working on building a government under Netanyahu and with his bloc. But it can only advance the moment that Smotrich will find a solution to his problem with Mansour Abbas’
Road to a coalition seems blocked, but Netanyahu is in the driver’s seat, again (Times of Israel)
DAVID HOROVITZ: None of his options for mustering a majority look promising. But Israel’s longest-serving prime minister has surmounted similar obstacles in the past
'Mexican standoff' gave Netanyahu his win (Ynet)
By refusing to throw his lot in with Lapid, Saar effectively made the PM the inevitable choice to form the next government; he had hoped Bennett would back the Yesh Atid leader instead but no one seems to trust anyone anymore
ANALYSIS
Netanyahu will try to use his mandate from President Rivlin to push for a fifth election (Haaretz)
ANSHEL PFEFFER: The anti-Bibi bloc is in a better position to form a government, but Netanyahu now has four weeks to try to lure defectors and secure a Knesset majority
Israelis and Americans both are asking, whose country is this anyway? (NYT)
THOMAS FRIEDMAN: Israel and the US are trying to define anew what it means to be a pluralistic democracy
Photo: Religious Zionist Party leader Bezalel Smotrich speaking on an Israeli TV conference in March (Abir SUltan/EPA)
