Likud lawmaker thinks Netanyahu's coalition with religious Zionist parties is asking for trouble] Negotiations between religious Zionist party leader Smotrić and Netanyahu did not go well, and Likud MP David Bitan publicly expressed his dissatisfaction on November 25, believing that even if a government is formed with the religious Zionist party, the mistrust between them will continue, leaving the (new) government not very well.
Bitan said Smotridge, chairman of the Religious Zionist Party, was tough and had a lot of demands. The party has also publicly stated that voters chose them to implement a right-wing agenda and that they will not compromise on obtaining the policy tools they need. One of the main items on its right-wing agenda is the control of civil affairs relating to citizens living in settlements, as well as the expulsion of Palestinians illegally occupying parts of Area C. This is an approach that has been strongly criticized by the international community, and Netanyahu has some concerns about it.
In addition, according to allegations by far-right parties, for more than 12 years, the Palestinian Authority has been "organized, funded and outspoken" in pursuing a policy of "restricting Jewish settlements" and "unilaterally establishing a Palestinian state", a policy that most Israelis oppose and the Israeli government has failed to effectively hedge, and Netanyahu is embarrassed by the Religious Zionist Party's demand that the policy of dismantling Palestine be included as a condition in the formation agreement. That would undermine the Israeli-Palestinian coordination mechanism.
On Wednesday, the religious Zionist party abruptly accused the Likud party of reneging on all commitments, bringing the negotiations between the two sides back to square one. This shows the extreme complexity of the issues demanded by far-right parties.
