Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 08, 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
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
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
×