Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced on Monday that his coalition government would dissolve parliament next week. This is a shocking announcement, empowering Foreign Minister Yale Rapid in a few days and forcing a new election.
Bennett and Rapid formed a different ideological alliance a year ago and counted eight parties that were widely united in the desire to end the term of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The hawk, the left, and-for the first time in Israel’s history-the Arab Islamist coalition temporarily led Israel out of an era of unprecedented political impasse.
But after a series of asylums that put the coalition on the brink of collapse, Bennett upheld a bill to dissolve Congress next week, saying it would trigger a fifth election within four years without the guarantee of a viable new administration. rice field.
Bennett said centrist politician Rapid will become prime minister of the interim government in line with last year’s power-sharing agreement.
“We made the right decision for Israel,” he said.
This move means Rapid is ready to welcome US President Joe Biden, who will visit Israel in July.
Rapid thanked Bennett for “prioritizing the country over his personal interests,” but said the inability of the coalition to survive indicates that Israel “needs serious change.” rice field.
-Settlers on the West Bank-
Bennett, a religious nationalist, is the former chief of a lobby group for Jewish settlers on the West Bank of the Palestinian Autonomous Region, which has been occupied by Israel since 1967.
His government faced a June 30 deadline for renewing measures to ensure that settlers live under Israeli law. Some Palestinians on the west bank of the Jordan River are only subject to the Israeli junta.
Two Arab lawmakers in the coalition refused to recertify the bill earlier this month, leaving the coalition, which had only 60 votes in Israel’s 120-seat parliament, handcuffed.
Bennett, a solid supporter of the West Bank reconciliation, which was considered illegal under international law, said the bill could not be allowed to expire.
He said the expiration of the law would have created “security risks” and “constitutional turmoil.”
“I couldn’t forgive it.”
Dissolving a government before the bill expires means that it will be automatically renewed until a new government is formed.
The Haaretz newspaper in Israel reported that a new election will be held on October 25th.
-Netanyahu’s cheers-
Netanyahu, who is being tried on charges of corruption he denied, welcomed the end of “the worst government in Israeli history.”
Veteran right-wingers have promised to form a “strong and stable government” for right-wingers.
However, Netanyahu has no clear solution to the political challenges that have plagued him in the last four votes since April 2019, when he failed to secure a coalition government.
Many on the right still do not trust him personally, excluding his government service, including former ally and coalition member Gideon Sa’ar (now the Minister of Justice of Israel).
“The goal of the upcoming elections is clear: to prevent Netanyahu from returning to prime minister and to enslave the nation for his personal benefit,” Saar tweeted.
Political analyst and poll expert Dalia Shindrin told AFP earlier this week that Netanyahu’s Likud party is still the most popular in Israel, but a new poll has shown him. It’s unclear if he will give him a dominant majority.
“In all the surveys in the last two months, only one survey showed 61 seats (of Netanyahu and its allies), one a few weeks ago, so it tends to (likud rise). That’s not the case, “she said. ..
Johannan Presner, chairman of the Israel Democracy Institute think tank, said Bennett and Rapid’s move emphasized that Israeli governance is still at stake.
“Prime Minister Bennett’s decision to dissolve Knesset did not end when Israel’s worst political crisis took office, but keep the coalition moving forward.”
“This government was one of the shortest governments in Israel, but it played a historic role by including Arab parties in coalition and state leadership decisions, paving the way for further inclusion by the Arabs. It was a minority in the political process. “
