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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered an inflammatory speech at the Knesset swearing-in ceremony for the 26th Knesset, accusing Arab party leaders of seeking to undermine the Jewish state. According to Times of Israel reporting, Netanyahu claimed Arab leaders want more than just to ‘improve the social conditions of the Arab public in Israel’.

The speech drew sharp criticism from opposition figures. Gadi Eisenkot, head of the Yesh Atid party, responded by calling Netanyahu’s address ‘absurd, divisive, full of hatred and shameful’, accusing the outgoing prime minister of misusing a state occasion. Eisenkot stated that Netanyahu is ‘unfit to continue even one more minute in office’.

The inflammatory rhetoric at the Knesset swearing-in ceremony highlights ongoing tensions between Netanyahu’s government and Arab political representatives as coalition negotiations continue and the new government takes shape.

Sources: Ynet, Walla, www.israelhayom.co.il, Times of Israel, Jerusalem Post