Coalition ousts Netanyahu as Israeli Prime Minister ending his 12 years power-run
-
Alaina
- . June 14, 2021
- . Update: June 14, 2021 7:24 pm
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s longest serving prime minister, has been ousted from power by opposition coalition thereby ending his 12 years run in power. On Sunday evening, opposition leader Yair Lapid won vote of confidence in Israel’s parliament Knesset by a thin advantage of 60-59 votes.
The former centrist TV news anchor, Lapid will not be the Israel Prime Minister initially. Instead, as per the power sharing agreement, Lapid’s former foe Naftali Bennett was sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Israel. Bennett is a far-right leader for settler movement in Palestinian territories. He will be the prime minister for first two years of four years term, and after two years Lapid will take over the office under the “power sharing agreement”. Bennett has ruled out idea of any Palestinian state and wants Israel to be in leadership position over all its occupied territories.
Interestingly, the opposition coalition that ousted Netanyahu hail from varied ideologies, ranging from hardline religious nationalists to a significantly smaller Arab Islamist party.
After the voting, Bennett ‘tried’ to give a speech in Knesset as Netanyahu’s allies interrupted him. He thanked Netanyahu for his “lengthy and achievement filled service” to the nation. However, Netanyahu treaded on an opposite road as he gave sleech after Bennett. He boasted of driving Israel “from a marginal country to a rising force”. He then slammed his successor of being a weak leader in comparison. He also pledged of working hard and returning to power and “topple this dangerous government”.
With this past record of four elections since 2019 with Netanyahu staying in power, has been disrupted. Netanyahu has often been hailed for his political skills and through this he managed to stay in power while his opposition was left divided and squabbling. Netanyahu also managed to steer his way past three corruption cases against him, the charges that he clearly denies.
Sever Plocker, a columnist for Israel’s leading daily newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, has written that Netanyahu is to be responsible for his downfall. “Over the past few years, he became his own greatest enemy: his egocentrism, his personal and public paranoia, his avarice, his ongoing incitement and his hubris unified the opposition to him from across the political spectrum to the point that they joined forces to successfully bring him down.”
As Bennett was sworn in as Israel’s new Prime Minister, Tel Aviv was flooded with thousands of Israelis waving the country’s blue and white flags celebrating the new government.
