Israeli Education Minister says he will not resign Netanyahu’s coalition

Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett said on Monday he will not resign from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government despite sharp disagreements.

Instead, Bennett, of the far-right Jewish Home party, said he will give Netanyahu time to correct course on a range of issues, making a snap election less likely.

Middle East Eye reported Bennett saying that “If Netanyahu was serious in his speech [on Sunday] about dealing with security issues, we will give him a chance and we will remove all of our demands and we will stay in the government.”

Bennett said he believes he will pay a “political price” in the coming months for his decision. “But I prefer that Netanyahu wins politically than [Hamas leader] Ismail Haniyeh in security.”

The education minister also criticised Netanyahu for allowing residents of Khan al-Ahmar, a Bedouin village in the occupied West Bank, to stay in place despite a high court approving the village’s demolition.