Netanyahu called for unity. His anti-Arab speech to the Knesset may have made it impossible.
Benjamin Netanyahu stood before Israel’s newly sworn-in Knesset this week and called for a national unity government. By the time he finished speaking, he may have made such a government under his leadership all but…
Assessment
Netanyahu's opening address to the new Knesset undercut his own call for unity by directly attacking Israeli Arab party members. The speech, meant to set a cooperative tone, instead deepened the partisan divide he claimed to want to bridge. The question now is whether any coalition partner can join him without alienating their own base or appearing to endorse his rhetoric.