Benjamin Netanyahu’s record 12-year reign as Israel’s prime minister came to an end on Sunday, June 13, 2021, with parliament endorsing a new government of change led by nationalist Naftali Bennett, an improbable scenario few Israelis once could have imagined.
Netanyahu, who is well known for his ability to manoeuvre out of the tightest political binds, was unseated by the razor-thin 60-59 vote of confidence in a coalition of left-wing, centrist, right-wing and Arab parties with little in common except a desire to unseat the former Prime Minister, underscoring its likely fragility.
In his address to the parliament before Bennett was sworn in, Netanyahu explained that he is not leaving quietly, saying, “If we are destined to go into the opposition, we will do so with our heads held high until we can topple it. That would happen sooner than people think.”
Interrupted by unrelenting heckling with shouts of “liar” and “shame” from loyalists of Netanyahu in parliament, the new Prime Minister, Bennett thanked his predecessor for his lengthy and achievement-filled service on behalf of the State of Israel.
Bennet, whose politics are further to the right than Netanyahu’s, has to face the anger of nationalists for forming a government of alliance with leftist and Arab parties.
Netanyahu is Israel’s longest-serving leader, having also served the first term from 1996 to 1999, however, he was weakened by his repeated failure to clinch victory in four elections over the past 2 years, including a vote in March, and by an ongoing corruption trial, in which he has denied any wrongdoing.
Israel and Palestinian militant group, Hamas also engaged in over a week of intense warfare last month, with both sides criticized for civilian casualties.
The deal that led to the coalition
The 2-headed government which was approved by the Israeli parliament is centred around a desire to get rid of Netanyahu from office.
Under the coalition deal, Bennett, a former Netanyahu ally, an Orthodox Jew and tech millionaire, who opposes Palestinian statehood and the Iran nuclear deal, will serve until August 2023.
He will then be replaced as prime minister by centrist Yair Lapid, a popular former television host, who was the main architect of this unlikely coalition and will lead the country through November 2025.
Lapid and Bennett both lead a fragile government that has a tiny voting edge over its rival with the Israeli parliament having 120 members
The new government largely plans to avoid sweeping moves on very controversial and delicate international issues such as policy toward the Palestinians, but rather focus on domestic reforms.
The United States President, Joe Biden, in his congratulatory message to Bennett, Lapid and the rest of the new cabinet, said he looked forward to working with Bennett to strengthen the close and enduring relationship between their two countries.
The first Israeli government in 12 years not led by Benjamin Netanyahu got down to business on Monday, with the former prime minister shying away from a handover ceremony with successor Naftali Bennett.
What you should know
- Netanyahu, 71, also known as Bibi, holds a world view shaped by the history of Jewish persecution. His older brother, Yonatan, was killed while leading the 1976 rescue of Israeli and Jewish hostages at Uganda’s Entebbe airport, and he has described this personal loss as formative to his determination to combat terrorism.
- As the then Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, Netanyahu emphasized Israel’s need to be strong to protect itself from regional enemies. This won him fierce loyalty from supporters who saw him as a guardian of Israel’s security, although this at times led to conflict with domestic opponents and world leaders who wanted him to do more to end Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians and deplored his efforts to undermine the nuclear accord with Iran.
- He also achieved a lot with the Israeli economy, turning it away from the centralized, state-dominated system established by Israel’s socialist founders toward a more liberalized, market-oriented Western model. Critics lashed out at him for dismantling the welfare state.
