A Total of 15 Years and 2 Months as Prime Minister's Aide... Fatigue from Long-Term Rule
New Prime Minister Likely to Be Former Netanyahu Aide
[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] With the final agreement on forming a coalition government among nine Israeli parties, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister who has been in power for over 15 years, has been ousted. The new Israeli coalition government is expected to be a "rainbow" coalition, including far-right, centrist, left-wing, and even Arab parties, signaling a significant shift from the hardline policies toward Palestine that were central to the Netanyahu administration.
According to local media such as The Times of Israel on the 2nd (local time), nine parties?including the centrist Yesh Atid (17 seats), which rose to become the second-largest party in the March general election, along with Blue and White (8 seats), Yamina (7 seats), Israel Beiteinu (7 seats), Labor Party (7 seats), New Hope (6 seats), Joint List (6 seats), Meretz (6 seats), and Ra'am (4 seats)?have formed a coalition government. As a result, Netanyahu, who served as prime minister for 15 years and 2 months, becoming Israel's longest-serving prime minister, has been ousted.
These parties began marathon negotiations on the 31st of last month and reached a dramatic agreement just one hour before the coalition formation deadline. The nine parties hold 68 seats, surpassing the majority in the 120-seat Israeli parliament, enabling the formation of the coalition. This coalition includes parties ranging from far-right to centrist, left-wing, and Arab parties, and is locally referred to as the "rainbow" coalition. This is the first time in Israeli history that Arab parties have participated in a coalition government.
According to prior agreements, Naftali Bennett, leader of the far-right Yamina party, will serve as prime minister for the first two years of the term, while Yair Lapid, leader of Yesh Atid, will serve as foreign minister. In the latter two years of the term, the two will swap positions. Bennett is notable for entering politics in 2008 as Netanyahu’s chief of staff. Benny Gantz, leader of Blue and White, who has served as defense minister in Netanyahu-led coalitions, will continue as defense minister.
Although Netanyahu has relinquished the prime ministership, he will continue to influence Israeli politics as leader of the Likud party (30 seats), which remains the largest party in the parliament, serving as opposition leader. Netanyahu previously served as prime minister from 1996 to 1999 for three years, and then again from 2009 until this year, serving consecutively for 12 years and 2 months, totaling 15 years and 2 months in office. However, with his ousting, a full-scale investigation and prosecution are expected to proceed regarding allegations of bribery and other charges currently under investigation by authorities.
With this coalition government coming into power, Netanyahu, who led Israel’s hardline policies toward Palestine, has been ousted, and significant changes in Israel’s foreign policy are anticipated. However, concerns have been raised that the coalition, composed of parties with widely varying ideologies from far-right to Arab parties, may be fragile and prone to collapse.
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