Israel: Ultranationalists, Far-Left, Far-Right, Islamists, Centrists Gang Up, Strike Deal To Oust Netanyahu As PM

In a move that threatens to end Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's 12- year reign, Israel’s opposition leaders have agreed to form a new government.

Naftali Bennett, a tech millionaire and a former ally of Netanyahu, is set to become the next prime minister. Bennett heads the right-wing nationalist Yamina party and holds just six seats in the 120-member Knesset.

Bennett had served as senior aide of Netanyahu between 2006 and 2008. He left Netanyahu’s Likud party, however, after his relationship with the Prime Minister soured.

Bennett, who is ideologically perceived to be to the right of Netanyahu, is known for being a strong advocate of the Jewish nation state, and for insisting on Jewish historical and religious claims to the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, territory near the Israel-Syria border that Israel has occupied since the 1967 war.

Bennett had recently accused Netanyahu, the country ’s longest-serving prime minister, of “trying to take the entire state of Israel with him to his personal Masada” (Jews regard Masada as a place of reverence, commemorating ancestors who fell heroically against oppression, and committed mass suicide.)

Bennett has entered in to a political alliance with Yair Lapid, who heads the centrist Yesh Atid party. 6 other parties will also be part of the coalition. As per terms of the deal, Bennett would subsequently hand over the PM post to Lapid.

The new coalition will comprise entire ideological spectrum ranging from ultranationalists, centrists, left-wing and Arab-Israeli parties.

Ra’am, an Islamist party, will be a part of the proposed coalition. This will be the first time an Arab party will join a Zionist government.

Since March 2019, Israel has conducted four parliamentary elections in which the parties allied to Netanyahu have failed to secure a majority in the 120-member Knesset plunging the country to political deadlock.