Benjamin Netanyahu
Current Affairs
By Venkatesh Raghavan
The Israeli Parliament, Knesset, seems to be heading towards a phase of prolonged uncertainty, after the expiry of the allotted 28 day window to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for government formation.
Even as Netanyahu handed over the reins to the President, expressing his inability to muster 61 members in the 120 seat Israeli Parliament, viable alternatives to fill the vacuum seem a far cry from emerging.
The Muslim Orthodox Raam Party, which is expected to play kingmaker in the alternate permutations that will conjure up the numbers is highly unlikely to enter into an alliance with Israeli far right Party, after being branded as a terror outfit. The Raam Party headed by Masour Abbas is actively spearheading the cause of improving the livelihoods of Arab minorities settled in Israel.
The far right, Zionist faction, headed by Bezalel Stomrich can never be able to see eye to eye with the Raam parliamentarians who seek to champion the cause of the 20% Arab population settled in Israel.
Besides, former confidante of Netanyahu, Naftali Bennett, who has formed his own political group after parting ways with the former prime minister, is not very keen on any combination that would favour the continuance in office of Netanyahu.
In the absence of any viable alternate formation, the president might hand over the chance to any new claimant, allowing a fresh 28 day window to secure the numbers.
Meanwhile, the 71-year-old Netanyahu who is facing corruption charges, having arrived at the end of a 12-year stint as Prime Minister, might view the prospects of a fifth round of elections as a fresh breather to his political career. The Israeli media kept playing it out as Netanyahu being the greatest political survivor with unmatched wile.
On the Palestinian front, the polls that were scheduled for May 22, 2021 have been indefinitely postponed by a court order. The order stated at least till December 2021, the elections will not be taking place.
The Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas blamed the Hamas faction for the indefinite delay in polls. While many Palestinians view Abbas as a despot who has overshot his tenure, in leading the Fatah faction, people in West Bank vented their feeling that Abbas being acutely aware of his down spiralling popularity is instrumental in the indefinite postponement.
Furthermore, the municipal elections for the Palestinian territory that was slated for October 8, this year also stand cancelled.
