Tel Aviv and Jerusalem
CNN
–
Israeli President Isaac Herzog announced Friday that he will invite Benjamin Netanyahu form the next government of Israel, paved the way for him to take on the country’s top job for a record sixth time and extend his record as the nation’s longest-serving leader.
Herzog will formally issue the authorization to Netanyahu on Sunday, he said. Herzog made the announcement after meeting with all factions in parliament, the Knesset, to ask whom they would return as prime minister to.
In a statement released by his office, he said: “At the end of the consultation round, 64 members of the Knesset proposed to the president the Likud faction’s president, MK Benjamin Netanyahu.” He added that 28 Knesset members had proposed outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid. The same number chose not to refer anyone.
Herzog will meet with Netanyahu at the president’s residence on Sunday to formally hand over his mandate. Under Israeli law, Mr Netanyahu would then have 28 days to form a new government, with the possibility of an extension of 14 days if requested.
During the negotiations, Mr. Netanyahu will have to divide ministries between his coalition partners and haggle over policies.
This is where things get interesting. With a four-seat majority in the Knesset or a 120-seat parliament, the five factions allied with Netanyahu’s Likud Party are all potential kings: if they don’t give any of them what they want, they can. cause the alliance to collapse.
When it comes to ultra-Orthodox parties, their demands are not controversial as far as Mr. Netanyahu is concerned: greater funding for religious schools and the right not to teach their children secular subjects like math and English. Older brother.
The real matches may come for him new radical right-wing allies. Netanyahu came to power after a stunning display of Judaism / Zionism list, with 14 seats, currently the third largest group in the Knesset. Its leader, Itamar Ben Gvirwho has a history of inciting anti-Arab racism and supporting terrorism, has asked to be the Minister of Public Security, in charge of the police of Israel.
Ben Gvir’s partner is Bezalel Smotrich, who has described himself as a “proud gay man”. He has said that Israel should be governed by Jewish law. He spoke of diminishing the Supreme Court’s power, and pointed to a charge of breach of trust – which happened to be part of the indictment against Netanyahu in his ongoing corruption trials. . Netanyahu has long denied all the allegations. If Smotrich wins the Justice Department he coveted, he could make these a reality, ending Netanyahu’s legal worries.
However, these may be his least concerns. Forced to join forces with the far-right, Netanyahu’s sixth reign will likely alienate half of Israel that didn’t vote for his bloc of parties.
Restrictions on occupied West Bank settlements could be eased, prompting international condemnation. Violence between Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank could get worse; 2022 has seen more people killed on each side than at any time since 2015.
Then there was the potentially explosive issue of Jerusalem’s holy site known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as Ḥaram al-Sharīf, or the Noble cathedral.
Under the status quo, only Muslims are allowed to pray at the compound. Ben Gvir advocates allowing Jews to pray at their holiest site.
Any change could be used by Palestinian militants as an excuse to carry out attacks. It will almost certainly be condemned by Israel’s new friends in the Arab world, such as Morocco, the UAE and Bahrain.
President Herzog himself summed up the issue when a hot mic caught him telling Netanyahu allies in the Shas party: “You’re going to have a problem with Temple Mount. That is an important issue. You have a partner the whole world is worried about,” a clear reference to Ben Gvir.
“There have been concerns about the things you have said about the LGBT community,” Herzog told another Netanyahu ally, Avi Maoz of the openly anti-LGBT Noam faction. All human beings are created in the image of God and we must respect everyone. We have only one State of Israel. The same goes for your party.
Can a Netanyahu-led government have a dispute with the US? Netanyahu may not have as close a brotherhood to President Joe Biden as he does to Donald Trump, but the two seem to get along well.
“We are brothers,” Biden told Netanyahu on a call after the election. “My commitment to Israel is unquestionable. Congratulations my friend.”
Mr. Netanyahu replied: “We will bring more historic peace agreements [with the Arab world], that is within reach. My commitment to the alliance and our relationship is stronger than ever.”
Mr. Netanyahu vehemently opposes the re-entry of the US into the Iran nuclear deal, but that doesn’t seem to be in dispute at the moment. Regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Israel’s reluctance to supply Kiev with defensive weapons, Netanyahu promised President Volodymyr Zelensky to “seriously study” the matter.
Assuming Netanyahu can reach a coalition agreement by the December 11 deadline, the Knesset President will conduct a confidence vote within seven days. If all goes according to plan, Bibi’s government will then take office, perhaps on December 18th – just in time for Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights (and miracles).
