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Benjamin Netanyahu’s 12-year term as Israeli Prime Minister ends, and the country’s parliament approved a new coalition government led by right-wing nationalist leader Naftali Bennett on Sunday .
The new government is a hodgepodge of political parties, with little in common other than the hope to overthrow the current former prime minister, Netanyahu.
From the extreme left to the extreme right, the coalition included for the first time a small party representing Israeli and Palestinian citizens, who accounted for 21% of the country’s population.
Analysts said that it is expected to focus on economic and social issues, rather than risk exposing internal differences by trying to resolve major diplomatic issues such as the Palestine-Israel conflict.
The Palestinian leader refuted the change in government, saying that the new Israeli prime minister may pursue the same right-wing agenda as his predecessor.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that it is “inaccurate” to refer to Bennett’s coalition government as a “government of change” unless there is a major change in its position on Palestinian self-determination and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. East Jerusalem is its capital.
Here are the leaders who will lead the new government:
Naftali Bennett-Prime Minister
Bennett leads the ultra-nationalist Yamina (right-wing) party, which supports illegal Jewish settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.
As a former Netanyahu ally, Bennett defended his decision to join the new coalition in order to save the country from a period of political turmoil, otherwise the fifth election may be held in just over two years. He has served in the former Netanyahu government and most recently served as the Minister of Defense.
He opposed Palestinian independence and strongly supported the establishment of illegal Jewish settlements in the Occupied West Bank and Occupied East Jerusalem, which Palestinians and many in the international community regarded as the main obstacle to peace. According to international law, settlements are illegal.
The Israeli leader has called for the annexation of the occupied West Bank in the past, but analysts believe that the plan does not seem feasible given his new centrist and leftist partners.
Bennett made a fortune in Israel’s high-tech sector before entering politics in 2013. As we all know, he is extremely economically free.
The new prime minister expressed his opposition to the restoration of the nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers. In a speech to the Knesset after winning the vote, he vowed to maintain Netanyahu’s confrontational policy against Iran.
“Israel will not allow Iran to arm itself with nuclear weapons. Israel will not join the agreement and will continue to maintain full freedom of movement.”
According to the alliance agreement, Bennett will serve as prime minister for two years until he is replaced by Yair Lapid. He will be the first leader of the country to wear kippah, the toque worn by Orthodox Jews.
Yair Lapid-Minister of Foreign Affairs
Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Yail Rapid leads the Yesh Atid Party [File: Gil Cohen-Magen/AFP]
Yair Lapid leads the centrist Yesh Atid (has a future) party and is the architect behind the new government. His party is the largest party in the coalition, but he agreed to share power with Bennett to secure a majority in Parliament.
In 2012, he quit his job as a TV anchor and established his own political party, fulfilling his promise to reduce financial pressure on the middle class. He also tried to end the privileges of many state funding enjoyed by ultra-Orthodox Jews, which is the source of long-term anger for many secular Israelis.
Before turning to the opposition, he initially served as Minister of Finance, and he led until Sunday.
Rapide will serve as Minister of Foreign Affairs for two years, and then take over as Prime Minister until the end of the government, provided that the government’s term lasts that long.
Benny Gantz-Secretary of Defense
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz is also the leader of the Blue and White Party [File: Jalaa Marey/AFP]
Just two years ago, Gantz, the former military leader who led the centrist Blue and White Party, was the opposition’s best hope for overthrowing Netanyahu.
In three unprecedented elections between April 2019 and March 2020, he was closer than other competitors to overthrow Netanyahu and prevented the former prime minister from forming a ruling bloc of right-wing and religious parties.
But he agreed to join Netanyahu in April last year to form a “unity” government, a decision that angered many of his supporters.
He will become a member of the new coalition and continue to serve as the Minister of Defense under his leadership of Netanyahu.
Avigdor Lieberman-Minister of Finance
Israeli Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman leads the Israeli Beitnu Party [File: Ammar Awad/Reuters]
Lieberman is a far-right immigrant from Moldova who lives in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and has been a political wildcard for the past decade. He joined the Netanyahu government, including serving as defense minister, but also withdrew.
As finance minister, he will have to control the budget deficit that surged during the coronavirus crisis.
He also stated that he will work to change the status quo between the government and Israel’s politically powerful ultra-orthodox minority, which is the backbone of the outgoing Netanyahu government.
The labor force participation rate in ultra-Orthodox communities is very low. While focusing on religious studies, they rely heavily on government charity. Lieberman has said that he will work hard to integrate them more into the economy.
Gideon Sa’ar-Minister of Justice
Likud Group member Gittensar is the main competitor of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu [File: Abir Sultan/EPA]
Gideon Sal is Netanyahu’s main competitor within the Likud Group, but the former prime minister did his best to keep him out of the spotlight and away from the highest-level investment portfolio. Frustrated Thrall launched a failed leadership campaign and then left his party.
As the leader of the New Hope Party, Thrall will be promoted to Minister of Justice, where he will oversee the legal system and become a member of the Security Cabinet.
Mansour Abbas-Deputy Prime Minister
Mansour Abbas is the leader of the United Arab Emirates [File: Abir Sultan/AFP]
Abbas’s small Arab coalition list will be the first political party in the Israeli government to draw lots from Israeli Palestinian citizens.
He split from other Palestinian politicians who prefer to stay outside the government, and set aside differences with Bennett and other right-wingers to fight Netanyahu.
Abbas is expected to serve as deputy minister in the prime minister’s office. His goal is to negotiate a substantial increase in government spending in Palestinian towns and villages.
But his existence is a potentially unstable factor. He was criticized by the Palestinians for agreeing to support the Israeli government while Israel continues to occupy Palestinian territory.
Speaking of these tensions, Abbas told the Italian daily La Repubblica on Friday: “Difficult decisions will be made, including security decisions. We must balance our status as Palestinian Arabs and citizens of the State of Israel in terms of citizenship and nationalism. “
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