Israel PM Netanyahu denounces Yamina party leader 'working to join new government'

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denounced the Yamina party leader after the latter announced that he has been working toward a coalition agreement with opposition leaders to form the new government.

A former ally of Netanyahu on Sunday announced that he is joining the new government with opponent leaders, taking a major step towards ending the rule of Netanyahu's 12 years as prime minister.

Naftali Bennett, leader of the small right-wing party Yamina, announced Sunday evening he is working toward a coalition agreement with Yair Lapid, leader of the centrist party Yesh Atid, to join a new government, CNN reported.

In a prime-time address, Bennett told Israelis that he is joining the new government to prevent a fifth round of elections and "rescue the country from spin."

"After four elections and a further two months, it has been proven to all of us that there is simply no right-wing government possible that is headed by Netanyahu. It is either a fifth election or a unity government," Bennett said.

A short while after Bennett spoke, Netanyahu made a statement of his own in which he denounced the Yamina party leader as a man who cared about nothing other than becoming prime minister, CNN reported.

Reminding Israelis that before the March election Bennett had said he would not sit in a government led by Lapid, Netanyahu said his right-wing rival's principles did not have the weight of a feather.

"Bennett was trying to pull off the "deception of the century," Netanyahu said.

( With inputs from ANI )

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