Sunday May 30th 2021
Formation of government in Israel
Liberals on the verge of an alliance without Netanyahu
In Israel, a government alliance excluding Netanyahu is becoming more and more likely. Liberal Jair Lapid is about to form an alliance of right-wing and left-wing parties. But he still has to convince hardliner Bennet by Wednesday – otherwise new elections are threatened.
According to media reports, the formation of a government in Israel to the exclusion of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in the last legs. The liberal Jair Lapid is about to forge an alliance of right-wing, moderate and left-wing parties, the Israeli media reported on Sunday.
The only thing the camps have in common, however, is to prevent Netanyahu from coming to power again. Lapid still needs the approval of the head of the ultra-nationalist Jamina party, Naftali Bennett. She has six seats in parliament and could thus prove to be a kingmaker. Bennett is expected to announce his decision on Sunday. According to reports, he would first take over the office of prime minister and later hand it over to Lapid.
According to media reports, such an agreement was as good as agreed when the Middle East conflict between Israel and the Palestinians broke out again on May 10th. In the face of the violence, Bennett broke off talks and declared that he would seek a broader unity government. That had increased Netanyahu’s chances of retaining power.
Lapid’s deadline is about to expire
Netanyahu made a counter-proposal on Sunday in order to be able to continue government business. He advocated an alliance of three parties. He wanted to make way for another right-wing politician, Gideon Saar, first, said Netanyahu. Saar should rule as prime minister for the first 15 months, then he would take over again for two years. Jamina boss Bennett should then lead the business of government for the remainder of the legislative period.
Saar immediately rejected the proposal. Netanyahu’s rule must end, he said on Twitter. There was initially no reaction from Bennett to Netanyahu’s suggestion. The 71-year-old has been in power since 2009, making him Israel’s longest-serving Prime Minister.
Lapid is currently in charge of forming a government. The deadline expires on Wednesday. His liberal party Yesh Atid was the second largest party in the parliamentary elections on March 23, after the national conservative Likud of Netanyahu. However, the latter did not succeed in forming a government within the set deadline. If there is no new government in the end, there should be new elections – the fifth within two years.
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