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Israeli government on shaky ground as MP quits Natfali Bennett's coalition

ISRAELI Prime Minister Natfali Bennett’s coalition government was dealt a blow yesterday as Meretz lawmaker Ghaida Rinawie Zoabi unexpectedly quit, leaving it with 59 of the Knesset’s 120 seats.

She said that she joined the coalition hoping that Arabs and Jews could take “a new path of equality and respect” but instead the government had taken “hawkish, hard-line and right-wing positions.

“The sights from Temple Mount [Al Aqsa], Abu Akleh’s funeral led me to make a moral decision,” Ms Rinawie Zoabi said in her resignation letter.

Last month coalition whip Idit Silman resigned citing an unwillingness of some in government to make compromises, leaving the fragile coalition with 60 of 120 seats  

Earlier this month, Mr Bennett said that there was an 80 per cent chance the government would only last another month. 

Ms Rinawie Zoabi remains a member of the Knesset, however it is unclear if she will side with the opposition in future votes. 

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