Israel has a new government

The Israeli parliament, the Knesset, has voted to trust Naphtali Bennett’s new government, which will not be headed by Benjamin Netanyahu for the first time in 12 years. Bennett, the leader of the right-wing Yamina party, will lead a very different and weak coalition: he has the support of eight parties, including Yamina, and received only 60 of the Knesset’s 120 votes, with one abstaining from 59.

Despite this, today’s referendum is seen as a fundamental turning point for Israeli politics, as it marks the end of Netanyahu’s rule and the breaking of a two-year-old political stalemate, during which four general elections are needed in Israel to form this new administration. . Finally, Bennett’s government was the first in decades to include the conservative United Arab Emirates, the party of Arab-Israelis.

During his pre-vote speech, Bennett was repeatedly interrupted by MPs from radical Orthodox and far-right parties who chanted “Shame!” And “liar!”, Prevents him from speaking. In recent weeks, Bennett’s decision to form an alliance with the Arab-Israeli Party, backed by Netanyahu, has been widely criticized by many members of Israel’s religious rights. Bennett announced the opening of a “new chapter” in relations between Israel and its Arab citizens, and promised to “honor” radical Orthodox communities.

The protests of the right-wing parties were so strong and tumultuous that the new Deputy Prime Minister, Yair Lapid (who will exchange with Bennett in two years, will return), dropped his speech.

Netanyahu spoke out, defining the government as “dangerous” and condemning – as he has done in recent days – electoral fraud against him and promising that he would soon come to power.

Netanyahu only pic.twitter.com/zXXjgLmqBu

– Noka Tornopolsky (NTarnopolsky) June 13, 2021

Parliament then voted for Yesh Adidas, the former police chief of the Central Party, as the new leader of the Knesset, and finally voted in favor of Bennett. The government took office immediately. Immediately after the vote, Bennett and Netanyahu shook hands.

Handing over, handing over the responsibility. pic.twitter.com/wrNiX6bN5j

– Don Williams (an Don Williams) June 13, 2021

The agreement to form a new government was found in early April after several weeks of negotiations following the March 23 election, which did not get as clear a winner as the previous three contests in the last two years (and that was in between). A short battle With Palestinian armed groups in the Gaza Strip). The new government will be supported by almost all opposition parties, from the far right to the secular left. Under the terms of the deal, Bennett will lead him for the first two years, following which he will be replaced by Yer Lapid, the leader of the central secular party, Yesh Adidas (“There is a Future”). The job change, Bennett told Knesset, is expected to take place on August 27, 2023.

The new government will have 27 ministers, including nine women. Former opposition leader Penny Kants will be defense minister. Gideon, the leader of the right-wing New Hope Party, will be the first Minister of Justice and later the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Leftists have been assigned to places such as Health, Meredith Nietzsche Horowitz and Transport led by Labor Secretary Merav Michaeli for Transport. Two other prominent figures on the Israeli right will also be part of the government: Avigdor Lieberman, leader of the secular right-wing party leader Gaza Nostra, will be finance minister. Ailet shuddered De Yamina will initially be the home minister and later the justice minister.

With such a diverse and fragile alliance backing it, the Bennett government is unlikely to address polarizing issues such as the conflict with the Palestinians and its policy against Iran. The new prime minister has made it clear that he wants to focus on internal issues, especially the economy. Among other things, the Israeli parliament has not passed a budget law for two years due to a political stalemate.

– read more: Who is Naphtali Bennett

Naphtali Bennett, 49, was born in Haifa to American parents of Jewish descent. After attending a religious school and a decent life in the military, he studied law and economics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He moved to the United States, where he became a millionaire for founding a technology startup, and in 2005, at the age of 33, decided to return to Israel to dedicate himself to politics.

For a time he was Netanyahu’s leader, then Ehud Olmert’s leader against the government, but he was fired a year and a half later, and has been with Netanyahu and his club ever since. He led the Jewish House, an old party of religious rights, which was able to bring it down to 9 and 6 percent in the next two elections in 2013 and 2015, respectively. For Bennett it was a period of great political activity: for six years he was unhindered in government, which included various roles, including Minister of Education, Economy and Religious Services, who sought to occupy political space to the right of Netanyahu and Likud with increasingly striking statements and gestures.

Bennett only fired Netanyahu last year, specifically accusing him of abusing the epidemic. In the 2021 elections, his new Yamina party – the fifth in 14 years of political career – achieved a good result, winning 7 out of 120 seats and, above all, the status of ruler in the Netherlands.

During the election campaign, Bennett promised not to rule with parties representing the Left or Arab Israelis, nor to support a Netanyahu-led government; In the end he was only a second respect.