Netanyahu warns Arab party coalition would dismantle Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that a coalition between opposition parties and Arab parties would lead to the "disintegration" of the State of Israel. In a recorded statement, Netanyahu warned that a government relying on Islamists would dismantle Israel from within, referencing protests in European countries. Neither he nor rival Gadi Eisenkot secured a majority in the October 27 election amid deep societal divisions over Netanyahu. Eisenkot expects President Isaac Herzog to task him with forming a government on Sunday, citing quiet progress in negotiations. A coalition could rely on Arab parties, whose seats rose amid discontent with Netanyahu's far-right policies, though opposition partner Avigdor Lieberman rejects this and urges talks with ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties instead.