Wednesday, June 02, 2021
End of the Netanyahu era
New government formed in Israel
Shortly before the deadline for the formation of a new government in Israel, there is a coalition between eight parties, including that of the center-politician Lapid and the right-wing hardliner Bennett. With the swearing-in, the era of Benjamin Netanyahu as Prime Minister would be ended for the time being.
Opponents of Benjamin Netanyahu have ushered in the temporary end of the era of long-term prime minister in Israel with the formation of a coalition. More than two months after the parliamentary elections, the previous opposition leader Jair Lapid has forged an alliance of eight parties. According to his spokesman, the 57-year-old will announce this to President Reuven Rivlin. The chairman of the Arab Raam party, Mansur Abbas, signed a coalition agreement with Lapid’s future party shortly before a deadline.
With the swearing-in of such a government in parliament, the era of Netanyahu as prime minister would be over for the time being. The expected date is June 14th. Before the swearing in, a simple majority of the 120 MPs must vote for the government.
According to media reports, part of Lapid’s coalition will also be the ultra-right Jamina party led by Naftali Bennett, who was considered to tip the scales after the March 23 election. Apparently both agreed on a rotation in the office of head of government. Ex-Secretary of Defense Bennett should be the first Prime Minister for two years, Lapid should then replace him. Lapid wants to take over the office of foreign minister first.
His future party is located in the political center. In the March election it had become the second strongest force after the right-wing conservative Likud of Netanyahu. Lapid had entered politics after a career as a television presenter. He served as finance minister in a previous Netanyahu government. Netanyahu was prime minister from 1996 to 1999 and has been in office since 2009. He was Israel’s longest-serving head of government.
The parties are united in the rejection of Netanyahu
Lapid relies on an alliance of his future party with seven small parties from all areas of the political spectrum. What they have in common is the rejection of Netanyahu, a prime minister on charges of corruption. However, there is a wide gap between their political goals.
Bennett, who became a millionaire with an Internet start-up, stands for national-religious politics, his party is considered to be friendly to settlers. The coalition partners Meretz, the Labor Party and the Arab Raam party are in favor of the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. This could complicate the work of the Lapid coalition.
At the beginning of May, 56 MPs voted for Lapid to be responsible for forming a government. Jamina won seven Knesset seats in the previous election. Israel has recently remained in a permanent political crisis. The fourth parliamentary election within two years at the end of March again failed to result in a clear majority. Rivlin commissioned Lapid to form a government on May 5, but Netanyahu had previously failed. The deadline for Lapid would have expired on Wednesday evening.
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