Israel’s new Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett
Jerusalem: Politics in Israel is heating up like the wildfire that is raging in the country’s southern West Bank that has forced evacuation of the residents of the Adora settlement in the southern West Bank.
With Israel’s Parliament approving new government, thus ousting Benjamin Netanyahu – the country’s longest serving Prime Minister, Netanyahu in what was his valedictory speech at the Knesset, vowed to “bring down this dangerous government and return to lead the state”.
The PM for the last 12 years is now replaced by his former chief of staff and Yamina Party leader Naftali Bennett.
Bennett presented his new government to the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) today, and will now head what political observers say is a fragile 8-party coalition of ‘ideally-diffused’ anti-Netanyahu leaders.
Also read: Opposition parties strike a deal to oust Netanyahu from power in Israel
Before voting, the coalition enjoyed a thin majority with 61 members in the 120-member Knesset. However, their strength further reduced as finally the Knesset approved a new coalition government only by a single vote with one abstention from the Coalition. A per a formula struck by the Coalition partners, Bennett is slated to remain at the helm of power till August 2023 when he would hand over the the prime ministership to coalition partner Yesh Atid’s leader Yair Lapid, who will then continue till the end of the Knesset term in November 2025. However, the stability of the government is expected to be constantly tested in view of Netanyahu publicly exhorting his followers and partners to “overthrow” the new government by acting together with “iron discipline”. He went on to declare:v”If we squabble, we will not achieve it.”
Lapid had inked the coalition deal with the partners after hectic parleys and reported hard bargaining on June 10 and 11 as Israeli law mandated that coalition agreements must be submitted to the Knesset and made public at least 24 hours before the swearing-in vote.
The eight parties that support the coalition in the Knesset are right-winged Yamina, New Hope and Yisrael Beytenu, centrists Yesh Atid and Blue and White, left winged Labor and Meretz, besides the conservative Islamic Party Ra’am. Their strength in the Knesset is as follows: Yesh Atid (17 seats), Blue and White (8), Yisrael Beytenu (7), Labor (7), Yamina (6 of its 7 Members of Knesset), New Hope (6), Meretz (6) and Ra’am (4).
Many eyebrows have been raised over Islamic party, Ra’am – the first majority Arab party in decades to be part of the prospective 36th government in Israel. Uproarious scenes marked the coalition’s show of strength when Bennett stood to present the coalition at the Knesset. There were shouts of ‘liar’ and ‘criminal’. Lapid, Foreign Minister-designate and Alternate Prime Minister-designate, even forwent speech, and the outgoing PM Netanyahu quipped ‘they’re celebrating in Iran today’.
However, Bennett in his speech preceding the confidence vote, sought to dispel Netanyahu’s apprehensions by categorically stating that Israel will not allow Iran to be equipped with nuclear weapons.
“Iran, through its Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guard, has established terrorist outposts – from Syria, through Gaza and Lebanon, and to Yemen. Renewing the nuclear deal with Iran is a mistake that will once again lend legitimacy to one of the most discriminatory and violent regimes in the world…Israel is not party to the agreement, and will maintain full freedom to act,” he said.
Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas, who addressed the Knesset in Arabic, refuted claims that he was promised generous funding for Arab communities in the Negev as part of the coalition agreements. “We want all the parties to think differently. No one sold the Negev to Ra’am. The Negev remains in Israel, its residents are citizens of Israel,” he said. Media reports suggest that Ra’am would get a deputy ministerial post, chairmanship of the Knesset Interior Committee, a deputy Knesset speaker and chairmanship of the Arab Affairs Committee.
Bennett went on to claim that the Arab community will be represented in the coalition by Mansour Abbas and his party. “This is a process that I must give credit to Prime Minister Netanyahu who held a groundbreaking series of meetings with Mansour Abbas, who reached out a hand,” he claimed and termed it to be the “right thing to do”. He went on to state that he understands “the plight and needs of the Arab society”, and pledged that the fight against crime and violence, the housing crisis, the gaps in education and infrastructure – will be addressed.
Bennett called on the citizens to demonstrate maturity and restraint. “The new government will be a government that strives for real, practical solutions, to the problems faced by the country and its citizens. The work-plan that we are presenting today is the most detailed in years. We have come to work. To remove the barriers, to free up the jams, and to turn our country into what it can be,” he said.
– global bihari bureau
