Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: After helming Israel for 12 crucial years, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing rough weather: his opponents have announced a deal to replace him, and have also informed the President.
And, for the first time, a minor Muslim party, United Arab List (UAL), has emerged as the kingmaker in Israel.
Netanyahu may leave office, but his rivals will, in all likelihood, be forced to continue his policies, both domestic and foreign. In particular, the “Abraham Accords” have begun to bring the Jews and the Arabs together for the first in centuries. Israel will also continue to follow its hardline against Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip as well as the Palestinian territory West Bank, barely a couple of weeks after a bloody conflict left more than 200 dead.
The dramatic announcement made by Opposition leader Yair Lapid and his main coalition partner Naftali Bennet came soon after a deadline at Wednesday midnight and prevented the Jewish country from plunging into its fifth consecutive election in just over two years, media reported on Thursday.
“This government will work for all the citizens of Israel, those that voted for it, and those that didn’t. It will do everything to unite Israeli society’, Lapid tweeted.
However, no one is sure of this new government’s longevity. For, the ‘coalition’ of several parties is still not clear on many issues except their opposition to Netanyahu. Its leaders, centrist Yair Lapid and ultranationalist Naftali Bennet will lead the country as PM by rotation, with Bennet taking oath first.
The two leaders, who cobbled up the uneasy coalition, are still working to persuade different parties not to rock the boat. Each of these minor parties wants its pound of flesh for supporting the duo, who are themselves not too comfortable with each other.
Israeli media reported disagreements over lower-level political appointments. The Knesset, or Israeli parliament, has assigned additional security guards to the two leaders because of death threats and online incitement.
That the coalition was hastily put together became clear soon. By Wednesday night, less than two hours before the deadline, there was still no deal between the partners, which included the UAL, a small Islamist party whose support is key to securing a coalition. The Muslim party is now the kingmaker in the Jewish country!
The deal would make it the first-ever Arab party to be part of an Israeli governing coalition. UAL leader Mansour Abbas said his party made the “difficult decision” to join Lapid’s governing coalition. “This is the first time an Arab party is a partner in the formation of a government,” he told reporters. “This agreement has a lot of things for the benefit of Arab society, and Israeli society in general.”
Although Lapid informed President Reuven Rivlin about support from a majority coalition of at least 61 seats in the Knesset, the parliament will then have only a week to hold a vote of confidence. If he misses the deadline, Israel will almost certainly have the fifth election in just over two years. And Netanyahu would have one more chance to hold onto his position as he stands trial for corruption.
In the March 23 election, Netanyahu’s Likud Party won the most seats, but he was unable to form a majority with his traditional religious and nationalist allies. Crucially, a far-right party allied with Likud refused to join forces with the UAL. That is precisely the reason for Netanyahu’s ouster, perhaps temporary.
Netanyahu has emerged as a deeply polarising force in recent years, leaving Israel in a prolonged state of political limbo through a series of inconclusive elections. An emergency government formed last year between Netanyahu and former military chief Benny Gantz to battle the coronavirus pandemic quickly became mired in political bickering and collapsed in December.
That government remains in place as a caretaker. Amid the political deadlock, parliament on Wednesday elected Isaac Herzog, a veteran politician and the scion of a prominent Israeli family, as the country’s next President. The presidency is a largely ceremonial role that is meant to serve as the nation’s moral compass and promote unity. “I intend to be the president of everyone,” Herzog, whose late father held the same position, said after the votes were tallied, media reported.
“We must defend Israel’s international status and its good reputation in the family of nations, fight antisemitism and hatred of Israel, and preserve the pillars of our democracy.”
Herzog, 60, is a former head of Israel’s Labor Party and opposition leader who unsuccessfully ran against Netanyahu in the 2015 parliamentary elections. He will take office next month and could play a role in Israeli politics down the road.
