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Leading last cabinet meeting, Bennett lauds government’s ‘excellent’ achievements

The Prime Minister urged cabinet to keep working “for the sake of Israel” until the last second. 

By World Israel News Staff

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Sunday hailed his diverse coalition’s achievements over the past year, in what was his last cabinet meeting as Israeli premier.

“It was an excellent government that was dependent on a complicated coalition. Here in this room, there is a group of people who knew how to set aside ideological disagreements, to rise above, and to work for the sake of Israel,” he said.

“There governments who served for long terms with very minor accomplishments, we served for a short term but with incredible accomplishments,” Bennett said.

The Knesset will dissolve itself next week, sending Israelis to elections for the fifth time in three years. Foreign Minister Yair Lapid will step in as interim prime minister in the meantime.

“For the first time in years, the harvest in the Gaza-border communities has ended quietly and successfully, without incendiary balloons, fires or Hamas rockets,” Bennett said. His year-long premiership was the longest stretch of time in recent years that incendiary devices were not launched into Israel.

Bennett thanked his ministers for working together for Israel’s interests.

“Together, we brought Israel from economic disintegration to growth. Together we reduced the astronomical deficit to zero,” he said.

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He instructed them to keep on working for the “sake of Israel” until the last possible second.

“Take advantage of every day, every hour and every minute that is left,” Bennett said. “We remain responsible for citizens of this country.”

Recent polls have shown that the Likud party, led by opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, would secure the most seats in a new election. However, both Netanyahu’s bloc and the bloc currently led by Bennett and Lapid would fail to secure the majority needed to form a government.