Israel’s Knesset convenes to vote on new government to end Netanyahu’s rule

Mr Benjamin Netanyahu has tried to remove defectors that would deprive the coalition of its wafer-thin legislative majority. PHOTO: AFP

JERUSALEM (REUTERS) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's record 12-year hold on power was set to end on Sunday (June 13) when parliament votes on a new government, ushering in an administration that has pledged to heal a nation bitterly divided over his departure.

Netanyahu, the most dominant Israeli politician of his generation, had failed to form a government after a March 23 election, the fourth in two years.

Mr Naftali Bennett, a hawkish hi-tech millionaire, was poised to replace him as head of a new government of unlikely allies that include left-wing, centrist and Arab legislators, which he cobbled together with opposition leader Yair Lapid.

Parliament convened at 4pm local time (1300 GMT) to approve the government in a confidence vote that would follow speeches and a debate set to take several hours. After its ratification, the new cabinet would be sworn in.

Mr Bennett, 49, an Orthodox Jew, will serve as premier for two years before Mr Lapid, a former TV host, takes over.

"Thank you Benjamin Netanyahu for your lengthy and achievement filled service on behalf of the State of Israel," Mr Bennett said in a speech at the start of the session.

The government, including for the first time a party that represents Israel's 21 per cent Arab minority, plans largely to avoid sweeping moves on hot-button international issues such as policy towards the Palestinians, and to focus on domestic reforms.

With little to no prospect of progress towards resolving the decades-long conflict with Israel, many Palestinians will be unmoved by the change of administration, saying Mr Bennett will likely pursue the same right-wing agenda as Netanyahu.

That looked likely regarding Israel's top security concern, Iran. A Bennett spokesman said he would vow "vigorous opposition" to any US return to the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal but would seek cooperation with the administration of US President Joe Biden.

"Love you, thank you!" Netanyahu wrote in a message yesterday, illustrated with a heart emoji, to the Israeli public on Twitter that featured a photo of the 71-year-old leader against the backdrop of an Israeli flag.

Bye bye Bibi?

On the international stage, with his polished English and booming baritone voice, the telegenic Netanyahu has become the face of Israel.

Serving in his first term as prime minister in the 1990s and since 2009 winning four more terms in succession, he has been a polarising figure, both abroad and at home.

Often referred to by his nickname Bibi, Netanyahu is loved by his supporters and loathed by critics. His ongoing corruption trial - on charges he denies - has only deepened the chasm.

His opponents have long reviled what they see as Netanyahu's divisive rhetoric, underhanded political tactics and subjection of state interests to his own political survival.

Some have dubbed him "Crime Minister" and have accused him of mishandling the coronavirus crisis and its economic fallout.

Celebrations by his opponents to mark the end of the Netanyahu era began late on Saturday outside his official residence in Jerusalem, the site of weekly protests for the past year, where a black banner stretched across a wall read: "Bye Bye, Bibi, Bye bye". Demonstrators sang, beat drums and danced.

But for Netanyahu's large and loyal voter base, the departure of "King Bibi", as some call him, may be difficult to accept.

His supporters are angered by what they see as Israel turning its back on a leader dedicated to its security and a bulwark against international pressure for any steps that could lead to a Palestinian state, even as he clinched diplomatic deals with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan.

None of those moves, however, nor the role he played in securing Covid-19 vaccines for Israel's world-beating inoculation campaign, were enough to grant Netanyahu's Likud party enough votes to secure him a sixth term in office.

Bennett has drawn anger from within the right-wing camp for breaking a campaign pledge by joining forces with Lapid. He has countered that another election - a likely outcome if no government were formed - would have been a disaster for Israel.

"This is a sad morning, because of the theft of votes and the fact Israel is getting a government based on one thing - a lie," Ofir Akunis, an outgoing minister from Netanyahu's Likud party, told Army Radio.

Both Bennett and Lapid have said they want to bridge political divides and unite Israelis under a government that will work hard for all its citizens.

Their cabinet faces huge foreign, security and financial challenges: Iran, a fragile ceasefire with Palestinian militants in Gaza, a war crimes probe by the International Criminal Court, and economic recovery following the pandemic.

Their patchwork coalition of parties commands only a razor-thin majority in parliament, 61 of the Knesset's 120 seats, and will still have to contend with Netanyahu - who is sure to be a combative head of the opposition. And no one is ruling out a Netanyahu comeback.

Sunday's crucial Knesset session is due to open at 4pm local time (9pm Singapore time), with Mr Bennett, Mr Lapid and Mr Netanyahu all set to speak before the vote.

Mr Netanyahu has heaped pressure on his former right-wing allies to defect from the fledgling coalition while attacking the legitimacy of the Bennett-Lapid partnership.

He has accused Mr Bennett of "fraud" for siding with rivals and angry rallies by the premier's Likud party supporters have resulted in security being bolstered for some lawmakers.

Mr Netanyahu's bombastic remarks as he sees his grip on power slip have drawn parallels at home and abroad to former United States president Donald Trump, who described his election loss last year as the result of a rigged vote.

The Prime Minister has called the prospective coalition "the greatest election fraud in the history" of Israel.

His Likud party said the accusations refer to Mr Bennett entering a coalition that "doesn't reflect the will of the voters".

Sunday's vote arrives hot on the heels of police crackdowns on Palestinian protests over the threatened eviction of families from homes in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem to make way for Jewish settlers, a month after similar clashes fuelled the latest war between Israel and Hamas.

It also comes amid right-wing anger over the postponement of a controversial Jewish nationalist march.

Mr Netanyahu favoured finding a way to allow the so-called "March of the Flags", originally scheduled to take place last Thursday, to proceed as planned.

He took that position despite the original route envisaging the march unfolding close to flashpoint areas including the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, where clashes last month triggered the Gaza conflict.

The premier's insistence saw his opponents accuse him and his allies of stoking tensions to cling onto power via a "scorched earth" campaign.

If Mr Netanyahu loses the premiership, he will not be able to push through changes to basic laws that could give him immunity in regard to his corruption trial.

The controversial flag march is now slated for Tuesday and ongoing tensions surrounding it could represent a key initial test for any approved coalition.

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