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A6 WORLD NEWS
Friday 20 May 2022
Shaky Israeli coalition is jolted as another lawmaker quits

By TIA GOLDENBERG allies.
Associated Press But a wave of Israeli-Pal-
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — An- estinian tensions, set off by
other member of Israel’s several deadly Palestinian
parliament said Thursday attacks against Israel and
she was quitting the rul- Israeli arrest raids in the oc-
ing coalition, leaving em- cupied West Bank, and fu-
battled Prime Minister Naf- eled by repeated clashes
tali Bennett in control of a between Israeli police and
crumbling minority govern- Palestinian protesters at Al-
ment. Aqsa, has shaken the coali-
Ghaida Rinawie Zoabi’s an- tion’s stability.
nouncement further whit- Mansour Abbas, the head
tles away Bennett’s hold on of the Islamist party, briefly
Israel’s 120-seat parliament, suspended his faction’s
reducing the coalition to 59 membership in the coali-
seats. Two other legislators tion over the events, before
from his own party have al- rejoining shortly after.
ready bolted. Israel on Wednesday said
Rinawie Zoabi’s departure it would allow a Jewish ul-
further raises the possibil- tranationalist flag parade
ity of new parliamentary to snake through the heart
elections, less than a year of the Muslim Quarter of
after the government took Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, center, attends a cabinet meeting at the prime minister’s Jerusalem’s Old City, what
office. While Bennett’s gov- office in Jerusalem, Sunday, May 15, 2022. is likely to further escalate
ernment remains in power, Associated Press tensions
it is now even more ham- She cited Israel’s conduct “Enough. I cannot continue an Islamist Arab party. They Bennett’s coalition recently
strung in parliament and at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa to support a coalition that came together last June lost its own whip, Idit Silman,
will likely struggle to func- Mosque, which in recent in such a shameful way with little in common other who said her nationalist val-
tion. weeks has been the site hounds the society from than their drive to oust for- ues were being challenged
In a letter to Bennett, of clashes between po- which I came,” she wrote. mer leader Benjamin Ne- under the diverse grouping.
Rinawie Zoabi, who hails lice and protesters, as well Bennett, who leads a small, tanyahu, who now heads Bennett took steps follow-
from the dovish Meretz par- as continued settlement hard-line nationalist party, the opposition. ing Silman’s departure to
ty, said she was leaving the building and the beating heads an unwieldy coali- Despite the differences shore up the coalition and
coalition because she said by police of pallbearers at tion of eight ideologically among the coalition, it has punish defectors, but an-
it too often adopted na- the funeral of a well-known diverse factions from dov- managed to pass a bud- other deserter raises ques-
tionalist positions on issues Al Jazeera journalist shot ish ones that support Pales- get, navigate the pandem- tions about the union’s
of importance to her con- while covering confronta- tinian statehood to nation- ic and strengthen relations stability and how much lon-
stituents, Palestinian citizens tions between Israeli forces alist parties and even, for with both the Biden admin- ger it can hang on before
of Israel. and Palestinians. the first time in Israeli history, istration and Israel’s Arab crumbling entirely. q

Scandal-hit former king returns to Spain after 2 years

By ASHIFA KASSAM and capital of the United Arab ment in alleged financial did not speak to the media House and this is coming
CIARÁN GILES Emirates. It said his visit to wrongdoings. The scandals who had gathered to cap- from someone who is not
Associated Press Spain reflects Juan Carlos’ renewed a debate over ture his arrival ahead of a a monarchist is that he
MADRID (AP) — Spain’s for- desire to “travel frequently whether Spain should have three-day regatta in which should be held account-

mer king returned to the to Spain to visit family and a monarchy. his yacht, the “Bribón” able and explain to Span-
country Thursday for his friends.” Juan Carlos left On Thursday evening, the which loosely translates as iards what he did while he
first visit since leaving near- Spain in August 2020 as private flight carrying the rascal is participating. was the head of state.”
ly two years ago amid a Spanish and Swiss prosecu- former monarch landed The news of his visit divided Others said it was time to
cloud of financial scandals. tors investigated his involve- in northwestern Spain. He opinion among Spain’s pol- turn the page.
Plans for the visit were con- iticians. “Prosecutors have already
firmed earlier this week by “I think all Spanish citizens said that there were irregu-
the royal household, who deserve an explanation,” larities and that these irreg-
said Juan Carlos I would Spain’s minister for eco- ularities are not subject to
first visit the northwestern nomic affairs, Nadia Calvi- criminal prosecution,” said
town of Sanxenxo, where ño, told broadcaster Ca- Edmundo Bal, a spokes-
a yachting event is sched- dena Ser on Thursday. person for the Ciudadanos
uled. He plans to travel to Yolanda Díaz, the second party. “That’s it. Period.”
Madrid on Monday to see deputy prime minister and Spanish prosecutors didn’t
his son, King Felipe VI, and a senior member of the find evidence to take the
other members of the royal United We Can (Unidas former monarch to court
family, the palace said in a Podemos) party, echoed because much of the al-
statement. that view. leged misbehavior, involv-
The royal palace says the “To me, it doesn’t mat- ing millions of euros (dollars)
84-year-old ex-monarch ter where the king is,” she in undeclared accounts,
would return Monday to Spain’s former King Juan Carlos waves during a bullfight at the told reporters. “What I do happened when Juan Car-
his “permanent and stable bullring in Aranjuez, Madrid, Spain, Sunday, June 2, 2019. believe, for the dignity of los had legal immunity as
residence” in Abu Dhabi, Associated Press an institution like the Royal Spain’s king. q