Netanyahu accused Yamina Party leader Naftali Bennett of the "fraud of the century"
As usual, Bibi's using a Republican trigger here; like he used "witch hunt" and "coup" to describe his criminal indictment; "fake news" for any story publishing the true extent of the evidence against him, now it's "fraud" to describe a political rival who just sucker-punched him in the gut.
It isn't fraud -- at least not in the way we experienced fraud in 2020.
Naftali Bennett is Netanyahu's former chief of staff and Defense Minister, among other positions through the years. They've a long history. After a series of promises made and promises broken, Bennett left both Netanyahu and the Likud Party. A handful of people done with Netanyahu, and by extension Likud, joined Bennett.
Bennett has served as the "king maker" in these four elections. If he didn't join Netanyahu's government, he sat it out because he refused to join with any Centrists. (Bennett's to the right of Netanyahu) Netanyahu has always counted on this as a reliable firewall against a new government forming without him as the PM.
Well, this time Bennett (and his small Party of former Likud members) have chosen to join with Yair Lapid's Centrist Party to form a government. IF this is finalized, Bennett would serve as PM for the first two years and Lapid would serve the second two years.
Netanyahu is apoplectic. When he accuses Bennett of "fraud", he means "liar" because Bennett had previously refused to join a Centrist government. But "fraud" travels to the States better and packs a stronger punch.
Netanyahu is busy pissing in every political punchbowl he can get his hands on and may blow up the new government before it officially forms -- if memory serves they have until Jun 2. If Netanyahu's unsuccessful, which would be a surprise, he'll blow it up from the outside.
