Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly lashed out at the US over its brokering of a deal between Israel and Lebanon to resolve a maritime dispute, claiming that the American involvement amounted to election interference, according to a Sunday television report.
The Kan public broadcaster reported that Netanyahu alleged in private talks that the Biden administration was attempting to interfere in the upcoming elections, set to be held on November 1.
The report said Netanyahu blamed both the US involvement in the negotiations between Israel and Lebanon, and a senior Democrat senator’s warning that the former premier’s inclusion of extreme-right lawmakers in a potential future government would harm US-Israel relations.
In official comments Sunday on the emerging agreement over the maritime dispute, Netanyahu charged that Prime Minister Yair Lapid had “surrendered to Hezbollah’s threats,” and maintained that if he were able to form a government after the November 1 elections, he would not be bound by this deal.
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The Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group has made repeated threats at the gas installations during the US-mediated talks.
Lapid responded in a tweet addressing Netanyahu directly, saying, “For 10 years you have failed in trying to bring about this agreement, at least don’t harm Israel’s security interests and help Hezbollah with irresponsible messages.”
Public Security Minister Omer Barlev later accused Netanyahu of “acting just like [Hassan] Nasrallah,” referring to the chief of the Lebanese terror group.
Prime Minister Yair Lapid flies over the Karish gas field on July 19, 2022. (Amos Ben Gershom/GPO)
Meanwhile, a poll published Sunday evening indicated that Netanyahu’s right-wing and religious bloc would still fail to muster a majority in the 120-seat Knesset.
According to the poll by Channel 13 news, Netanyahu’s Likud would get 31 seats, followed by Yesh Atid with 25, Religious Zionism 14, National Unity 12, Shas 8, United Torah Judaism 7, Labor 5, Yisrael Beytenu 5, Meretz 5, Hadash-Ta’al 4, and Ra’am 4.
Jewish Home, as well as Balad, which split from Hadash and Ta’al, would not pass the 3.25% electoral threshold, each at 2%.
According to the poll, Netanyahu’s bloc is at 60 seats, one short of a majority. Polls in recent weeks have consistently placed the opposition bloc at 59-60 seats.
Israeli TV polls are notably unreliable; nevertheless, they often steer the decision-making of politicians.
