Netanyahu's government 'most extreme, crazy' in Israel's history, warns outgoing premier

JERUSALEM

The incoming government led by Benjamin Netanyahu is shaping up to be the “most extreme and crazy” in Israel’s history, outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid warned on Friday.

“Netanyahu is weak and his partners are younger, more determined and more extreme than him, and have subdued him unconditionally,” Lapid said on Twitter.

He vowed to continue “fighting for our beloved country, for our democracy, for our soldiers, for the future of our children.”

An election this November paved the way for Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, to return to power.

On Friday, he was granted 10 additional days by President Isaac Herzog to form a government, extending the initial deadline of Dec. 11 until Dec. 21.

Netanyahu has been wooing religious hardliners and far-right forces to cobble together a new government, with opposition parties warning that their policies could undermine democracy and fuel conflict.

If Netanyahu is unable to finalize a government within the extended deadline, Herzog could assign the task to another political leader.

Any new government needs the support of at least 61 of the Knesset’s 120 members for a parliamentary vote of confidence.

*Ikram Imane Kouachi in Ankara contributed to this report