Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Thursday, Aug 28, 2025

Israeli coalition becomes minority gov’t after legislator quits

Israeli coalition becomes minority gov’t after legislator quits

Ghaida Rinawie Zoabi reportedly cited treatment of mourners at Shireen Abu Akleh’s funeral in resignation letter.

Israel’s governing coalition has become a minority in parliament after lawmaker Ghaida Rinawie Zoabi from the left-wing Meretz party quit.

Zoabi announced her resignation from the government to coalition leaders Prime Minister Naftali Bennet and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid in a letter that was circulated on Israeli media on Thursday.

She said she pulled her support for the government on ideological grounds, leaving Bennet with only 59 of 120 seats in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset.

“Unfortunately, in recent months, out of narrow political considerations the leaders of the coalition have chosen to preserve and strengthen its right-wing flank,” said the letter.

The Israeli-Palestinian legislator added that she “cannot support a coalition that is disgracefully harassing the society I come from”.




She explained that violence against worshippers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and during the funeral procession of slain Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh last Friday were among the events that led to her decision.

Zoabi also wrote that she had initially joined the coalition with hope that the government might help bring “a new path of equality and respect,” but that coalition leaders had chosen to take “hawkish, hard-line and right-wing positions”.

Israeli legislator Shlomo Karhi from the opposition Likud party led by former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu celebrated the move.

“There are anti-Zionists like Zoabi who struggle even in a fully anti-Zionist government,” he tweeted.

“Truth is, rightly so. This government has absolutely no values. They sold out everything, whether right or left, for respect and power,” said Karhi.

He added, “We are living days where anti-Zionists are helping Jews to get rid of the government.”




Palestinian-Israeli lawmaker Ibtisam Mara’ana, a member of the Labour Party which is part of the governing coalition, said in a tweet that she was sad to hear of Zoabi’s resignation.

“This coalition has been very important in the complicated reality of Israel. Every day this coalition survives is a day where light is victorious over dark,” she said.

Israeli-Palestinian lawmaker Sami Abu Shehada from the Arab Joint List told Al Jazeera that would have to wait until Zoabi’s next move before he could comment.


‘Earthquake for the Israeli government’


According to Israeli analyst Eli Nissan, Zoabi’s resignation puts the prospect of a snap election – which would be Israel’s fifth in three years – back on the table.

“The defection of Zoabi is an earthquake for the Israeli government. Her stepping down and that of Silman has led to no majority in parliament,” said Nissan, in reference to Idit Silman, a key member of Bennett’s own right-wing Yamina party who quit the government last month.

Silman resigned in a surprise move that left the prime minister with 60 instead of 61 seats in parliament, causing Bennet’s coalition to lose its slight majority.

“The next step would be calls for a vote of no confidence,” said Nissan, as Israeli media reported Knesset sources were expecting the opposition to call for a motion to dissolve the government next Wednesday.




While Nissan explained that Lapid and other members of parliament were trying to convince Zoabi to reverse her decision, he said, “If all these attempts fail, there will be a call for new elections in September.”

Bennett leads a collection of left-wing, centrist, right-wing and Arab parties that was sworn in a year ago, ending Netanyahu’s record 12-year run as prime minister.

Israeli media reported that Zoabi’s own party, Meretz, was unaware of her decision to quit and that she refused to meet the party leader, Nitzan Horowitz.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
×