While parties across the Israeli political spectrum have united to end Benjamin Netanyahu’s 12-year reign as prime minister, many remain skeptical of how much the alliance can accomplish. Others fear that with right-wing nationalist Naftali Bennett at the helm, the moderate and left-wing groups will be unable to contain his more radical agenda.
The eight parties opposing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have finalized their alliance, penning agreements with Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid on Friday.
Under the terms of the deal, Bennett will serve as prime minister until August 2023, when Lapid will take over and lead until November 2025 – assuming the government survives that long, of course. In the last three years, Israel has had four elections, and the coalition is extremely diverse, including far-right nationalists, centrists, social democrats, and for the first time in Israeli history, an Islamist Arab party: the conservative Joint Arab List, or Ra’am.
While Bennett is head of government, Lapid will be deputy prime minister and foreign minister – offices Bennett will occupy when they rotate in 2023.
Lapid said in the statement that the unity government was formed to do what’s best for the country. “All the partners in this government are committed, first and foremost, to the people of Israel,” he said.
Who Gets What?
The collective terms of the deal are exceedingly complex, with the eight parties each vying to protect their own core ideological concerns. However, the overarching concern is satisfying Yamina and Yesh Atid, who will exercise joint power over the structure of the coalition and both of whom will have veto power over decisions made in the cabinet and ministerial committees.
New Hope has been given control over the Education and Justice ministries, with party chair Gideon Sa’ar taking the second portfolio, and they have been given a seat on the Judicial Appointments Committee. New Hope also asked for changes to the judicial system, including splitting the attorney general’s post into two posts, one for prosecution and another for government legal advice, and the passing of a basic law outlining the Knesset’s relationship with the Supreme Court.
Meretz, a social democratic party, will hold three cabinet seats: Health, Environment, and Regional Cooperation. The party has won a provision to “advance the gay community’s rights,” but as Haaretz notes, it will be hard to convince the more conservative members of the coalition to accept any change toward allowing same-gender marriage in Israel.
Blue and White leader Benny Gantz will retain his Defense Ministry post. The status of the West Bank’s Area C, which is under full military jurisdiction, will remain unchanged. The government will also revisit the national conscription law to possibly include an alternate national service track, and it will establish a commission to investigate the Mount Meron disaster, in which 45 people were killed in a crowd crush on April 30 of this year.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
0.00 (0%) 0 votes
