“We call on our people in Jerusalem and the occupied interior to mobilize in order to resist the groups of settlers by way of different means and tools,” Mr. al-Qanou added.
Publicly, the new government projected an image of unity Monday morning, as its ministers gathered at the residence of the largely ceremonial president, Reuven Rivlin, for a formal photograph with the head of state. Mr. Bennett was also expected to meet later in the day with Mr. Netanyahu for a formal handover in private.
The government also made its first major move: Benny Gantz, the defense minister, issued a formal call for a commission of inquiry into the stampede at a holy Jewish site on Mt. Meron, northern Israel, in early May, which killed 45 worshipers. Mr. Gantz said it had not been possible to push for such an inquiry under Mr. Netanyahu, whose government depended on the support of ultra-Orthodox politicians opposed to an investigation.
The new administration continued to receive congratulatory messages from foreign governments, including Russia, India and the United Arab Emirates. The messages followed similar expressions of support on Sunday from Germany, Canada, Austria and the European Union, as well as phone calls from President Biden to Mr. Bennett and Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken to Mr. Lapid.
Mr. Bennett expressed opposition toward American-led efforts to restore a lapsed Obama-era nuclear deal with Iran. But analysts expect the Bennett government will mainly keep its disagreements private and seek greater bipartisan support in the United States for Israel than did Mr. Netanyahu, who grew close to former President Donald J. Trump after developing a fractious relationship with his predecessor, Barack Obama.
The Palestinian Authority reacted with a shrug to news of Mr. Bennett’s government, saying that the Israeli approach to Palestinians remained the same from government to government.
“A government was formed in Israel without Netanyahu, yet it is inaccurate to call it a ‘government of change,’” the foreign ministry of the Palestinian Authority, which exerts limited autonomy in parts of the West Bank, said in a statement.
Source : Nytimes
