News / Palestine

Netanyahu’s rivals racing to finalize pact to unseat him

Monday, 31 May 2021 2:50 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 31 May 2021 5:38 PM ]

This combination of pictures created on May 5, 2021 shows (L to R) Yair Lapid of the Israeli Yesh Atid party; Naftali Bennett of the Yamina (Right) party; and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the Likud party .(Via AFP)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political rivals are racing to forge a diverse coalition to unseat the Israeli regime’s longest-serving right-wing premier.

The Yamina party, led by hard-right millionaire Naftali Bennett, says will join forces with Yair Lapid, the so-called centrist opposition figure. Bennett and Lapid have until midnight (2200 GMT) Wednesday to form a ruling coalition.

Israeli media reports say the team-up will allow Bennett to lead for the first two years, which will be followed by Lapid.

In order to build such an anti-Netanyahu bloc, the duo would still need the support of other lawmakers to gain a majority of 61 seats in the 120-member Knesset (Israel’s parliament).

Lapid must sign individual agreements with seven parties. He counts on the ones representing Arab Palestinian citizens of Israel.

Lapid on Monday said “many obstacles” remain before a coalition to oust Netanyahu is agreed.

“Maybe that's a good thing, because we'll have to overcome them together,” he told members of his party. “That's our first test – to see if we can find smart compromises in the coming days to achieve the greater goal.”

Netanyahu misses deadline to form cabinet, putting his rule in doubt

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin tasks opposition leader Yair Lapid with forming a coalition cabinet, dumping Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who passed a deadline to secure enough allies to form his own cabinet.

Netanyahu has accused Bennett of trying to form a “leftist” ruling structure that would ensure his rise to premiership.

The Israeli regime has held four parliamentary elections only in the past two years, all of them inconclusive, amid lack of confidence in Netanyahu and his allies. Bennett’s alliance could avert a fifth one.

Gaza defeat aftermath: Israeli 'change' bloc determined to oust prime minister Netanyahu

Israeli politicians are getting closer to an agreement on a coalition cabinet to oust Premier Benjamin Netanyahu after the recent Israel military fiasco in Gaza.

Netanyahu has said Bennett is trying to preempt another election, because “he knows that his party will not secure enough votes.”

The Israeli prime minister, who first rose to power 25 years ago on a wave of opposition to Shimon Peres, has been holding onto power by tooth and nail for the past 12 years. His popularity has, however, suffered an unprecedented plunge among the Israelis, who have been holding regular rallies outside his residence for months. They want him out of office.

The resentment is owed in part to Netanyahu’s indictment in a number of corruption cases as well as his mishandling of the Israeli regime’s economy and the COVID-19 response.

The regime’s defeat in a recent war it launched on the besieged Gaza Strip has also given rise to serious doubt among Israelis about his future in power.