
<p>Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s worst fears became a reality last week when two of his foremost rivals &#8211; ultranationalist Naftali Bennett and centrist Yair Lapid &#8211; announced they had reached a deal to form a new coalition government. ;</p>



<p>“This government will work for all the citizens of Israel, those that voted for it and those that didn’t,&#8221; boasted Lapid. &#8220;It will do everything to unite Israeli society.&#8221;</p>



<p>&#8220;No one will be asked to give up their ideology, but everyone will have to postpone the realization of some of their dreams,&#8221; added Bennett. &#8220;We will focus on what can be done instead of arguing over what is impossible.&#8221; </p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-announcement-ends-a-years-long-series-of-elections-in-which-netanyahu-s-likud-party-failed-to-form-a-majority-coalition-with-its-allies"><strong>The announcement ends a years-long series of elections in which Netanyahu’s Likud party failed to form a majority coalition with its allies. ;</strong></h4>



<p>Netanyahu won re-election for Prime Minister in April 2019. Snap elections took place in September to elect lawmakers. However, Netanyahu failed to form a governing coalition &#8211; the first such failure in the nation’s history. Lawmakers voted 74-45 to hold new elections. Those in favor seeking to block Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz from gaining power. </p>



<p>Legislative elections were again in March 2020. When results produced a stalemate between Netanyahu and Gantz, they made a deal to rotate the premiership between the two leaders. </p>



<p>According to an agreement they signed at the time, the next round of elections would be 36 months later &#8211; making May 23rd, 2023 the latest possible date. However, when lawmakers failed to approve a 2020 state budget by the end of the year, the Knesset (Congress) had to dissolve once again. Elections were scheduled for March 2021.</p>



<p>This time around, Lapid and Bennett managed to form a coalition government with a similar agreement. Bennett would serve as Prime Minister for the first two years and Lapid the second two years. Center-left politician Isaac Herzog will serve as President. </p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-unlikely-alliance-was-formed-with-support-from-eight-political-parties-seeking-to-oust-netanyahu-and-avoid-another-round-of-elections"><strong>The unlikely alliance was formed with support from eight political parties seeking to oust Netanyahu and avoid another round of elections. </strong></h4>



<p id="h-for-the-first-time-in-israel-s-history-the-islamist-united-arab-list-is-a-partner-in-a-coalition-government"><strong>For the first time in Israel’s history, the Islamist United Arab List is a partner in a coalition government. </strong></p>



<p>Bennett, a Trump ally who had vowed never to participate in a government with Lapid or an Arab party, now faces criticism from former right-wing allies. ;</p>



<p>“We won’t forget,” said Bezalel Smotrich, leader of the ultranationalist Religious Zionists. “And we won’t forgive.”</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-so-what-does-israel-s-new-government-mean-for-the-biden-administration"><strong>So what does Israel&#8217;s new government mean for the Biden Administration? ;</strong></h4>



<p>Bennett has vowed to do whatever it takes to fight Palestinian statehood and supports annexing 60% of the West Bank. <em>This view is at odds with a growing push from progressives to support Palestinians. ;</em></p>



<p>On the flip side, Bennett is expected to be somewhat weak compared to Netanyahu given the diversity of his coalition.</p>



<p>“The coalition is so diverse that it’s hard to change much when it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” notes Avi Eisenman, a Bennett supporter. ;</p>



<p>Lapid, who will replace Bennett in two years, supports a two-state solution to the conflict. He has promised to improve Israel’s relationship with Democrats in the United States. </p>



<p>“Any major decision will need to pass Lapid’s veto,” explains Ofer Zalzberg, director of the Middle East Program at the Herbert C. Kelman Institute. “Lapid is publicly supportive of a two-state solution, and publicly opposed to any form of annexation, so from that point of view Lapid’s party is also considerably larger than Bennett’s and there are other left-leaning parties in the coalition…So Bennett’s ideology will face signifiant coalition restraints.”</p>



<p><em>Another major issue is the Iran nuclear deal, which Biden supports and Israel opposes. ;</em></p>



<p><strong>Sources:</strong> </p>



<p><a href="https://nypost.com/2021/06/02/israeli-pols-claim-agreement-to-oust-netanyahu-is-in-place/">Israeli claim agreement to oust Netanyahu is in place ;</a></p>



<p><a href="https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/world/2021/06/03/netanyahu-out-bennett-in-what-israels-new-government-means-us/5290705001/">No love lost between Biden and Bibi, but what might an Israeli PM Bennett mean for the US?</a></p>



<p><a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/03/ousting-netanyahu-the-unlikely-alliance-thats-set-to-lead-israel.html">Meet the unlikely alliance that’s set to oust Netanyahu and lead Israel ;</a></p>



<p><a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-diehard-right-wing-multimillionaire-replacing-israels-netanyahu?ref=scroll">The Diehard Right-Wing Multimillionaire Replacing Israel’s Bibi</a></p>