Israeli opposition party leaders Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid agreed to form a coalition government to oust Prime Minister (PM) Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been in power since 2009. Yamina party leader Naftali Bennett announced on Sunday that he was willing to join hands with Yesh Atid party chief Yair Lapid to form a stable coalition and prevent another round of elections from taking place.
“It is my intention to do my utmost in order to form a national unity government along with my friend Yair Lapid, so that, God willing, together we can save the country from a tailspin and return Israel to its course,” Bennett said. “The [2021] elections have proven there is no right-wing government under Netanyahu. There’s unity or fifth elections,” he added.
Bennett and Lapid have been holding intense negotiations since early May, after Netanyahu’s 28-day mandate to form a government with 61 seats ended unsuccessfully. Following this, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin passed on the task of forming a stable coalition to opposition leader Yair Lapid, whose mandate is set to expire this Wednesday.
Lapid is yet to make a comment about the deal with Bennett and is expected to address the Israeli public later today. With the support of Yamina, the Lapid-led anti-Netanyahu faction, also known as the “change bloc”, would be able to get 57 seats. However, this is still four short of the 61-majority needed. Nevertheless, it is expected that the Arab Ra’am party will join the “change bloc” and provide the four seats needed to form a majority in the Israeli Knesset.
Netanyahu, on the other hand, compared the Bennett-Lapid coalition to the politics in Syria and Iran, saying that if Bennett would have allowed Lapid’s mandate to expire on Wednesday, lawmakers from the “change bloc” would have joined Netanyahu in forming a right-wing government. Netanyahu also raised the issue of national security and said that a new government would only harm Israel’s deterrence in the region. “What will this do to Israeli deterrence? How will we look in the eyes of our enemies? What will they do in Iran or Gaza? What will they say in the corridors of the administration in Washington? This government will stand against Iran? This government supports the dangerous nuclear deal,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu also made a “last-ditch” offer to Bennett and New Hope party chief Gideon Sa’ar to prevent them from forming a coalition with the opposition. It was reported that Netanyahu offered a three-way power-sharing agreement between Netanyahu, Sa’ar, and Bennett. However, Sa’ar said that his party’s “position and commitment was, and remains, to replace the Netanyahu government.” If the Bennett-Lapid coalition succeeds in forming a government by Wednesday, Bennett could potentially become the new Israeli PM until 2023 on a rotational basis, after which Lapid would take over as PM till the government term ends in 2025.
The elections held in March failed to produce a clear winner for the fourth consecutive time since 2019, continuing the political deadlock in the country. Since 2019, no party in Israel has been able to a stable government and, consequently, there have been four general elections since then. In the 2021 election, Netanyahu’s Likud party managed to win 30 seats, making it the single largest party in the Knesset. However, Netanyahu and his allies fell short of the 61-seat majority required to form a government coalition, securing a total of only 52 seats. The pro-Netanyahu bloc of parties includes Shas, United Torah Jerusalem and Religious Zionism, who respectively won nine, seven, and six seats.
Israel Opposition Leaders Lapid and Bennett Join Hands in Plan to Oust Netanyahu
If successful in forming a government, Bennett could be the next PM for two years on a rotational basis, after which Lapid would take over as PM till the government term ends in 2025.
May 31, 2021
Yamina leader Naftali Bennett and Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid SOURCE: ISRAEL HAYOM