Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu Formally Relinquishes Power to Naftali Bennett

Naftali Bennett and the new coalition

Approval for a new coalition government was narrowly approved by Israel’s parliament on Sunday, June 13th. This coalition replaces the 12-year rule of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. His successor, Naftali Bennett, formerly an ally of Netanyahu turned rival and became the new prime minister by a very close vote (60-59). The new coalition is very fragile and is comprised of eight parties with very different ideologies.

The beloved Netanyahu, known by many as Bibi, does not plan on leaving politics and said, “If it is destined for us to be in the opposition, we will do it with our backs straight until we topple this dangerous government and return to lead the country.” (Associated Press)

The new prime minister, Naftali Bennett, will lead the new coalition which includes a small Islamist faction that is the first Arab party to sit in a coalition. The coalition partners do not agree with much that Bennett proposes except in their opposition to Netanyahu. They are, however, likely to pursue a modest agenda and desires to reduce tensions with Palestinians and work toward maintaining good relations with the United States.

Netanyahu accused Bennett of abandoning Israel’s right-wind electorate and joined with weak “leftists” to acquire the prime minister position. He has said that he believes Bennett does not have the backbone to stand up to Iran or pressure from the United States to make concessions to the Palestinians. Netanyahu said, “I will lead you in the daily struggle against this evil and dangerous leftist government in order to topple it. God willing, it will happen a lot faster than what you think.” (Associated Press)

Netanyahu remains the leader of the largest party in parliament, the Likud party. Bennett’s party only holds six seats in the 120-seat parliament. There are concerns that because the coalition is comprised of small and mid-sized parties, that they could collapse if any of its members decide to leave the coalition, making it fragile.