Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid on Saturday criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his alliance with far-right religious parties and support for legislation serving their interests, calling for a broad coalition to keep them out of power, Anadolu reports.

“There is no point in drawing closer to extremists, trying to reach agreements with them or appeasing them, because they do not appreciate goodwill,” Lapid wrote on the US social media platform X.

“Extremists see only one thing: more power,” he said, warning that they would exploit any opportunity and that those who allowed them near power would become their first victims.

Lapid accused extremists of using democratic rules to eliminate democracy and said they must be confronted directly.

“If laws against you are needed, they will be enacted, and if we have to exclude you, we will exclude you without hesitation,” he said.