Netanyahu’s Sixth Victory
According to Iran Gate, Benjamin Netanyahu announced an agreement to form a new coalition government, which will undoubtedly be the most right-wing executive body in Israel’s history.
“I succeeded,” was the phrase Netanyahu wrote on his Twitter page to announce that he had finally reached an agreement to form a new government. A politician with the longest tenure as Prime Minister in Israel’s history, who had been rejected by his former allies and pressured by legal authorities, not only never left the Israeli political scene but is now returning to lead a new executive body after only a year and a half in opposition.
On December 21, the Likud leader, just before the end of the mandate given to him by President Isaac Herzog following the results of the November 1 elections, managed to reach agreements to form a new government.
The new Israeli government, considered the most right-wing in the country’s history, will be formed by Likud, religious parties, and religious nationalist Zionists Itamar Ben Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich, and Avi Maoz, holding a majority of 64 seats out of the 120 in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament.
According to local media, this agreement is the result of a series of very intense negotiations with Ben Gvir’s Jewish Power party, giving the far-right nationalists access to the levers of power in exchange for political and personal support for Netanyahu. The announcement of future ministers’ names includes prominent figures known for their racist and radical positions.
This not only provoked reactions from Palestinians but also shocked liberal Israelis, who are concerned about the threat to democracy and the rise of extremism in the country. The swearing-in ceremony must take place by January 2.
A Controversial Executive Body
For Netanyahu, this will be his sixth non-consecutive term as Prime Minister of Israel. The coalition he led won the parliamentary elections last November, the fifth parliamentary election in four years, and negotiated for weeks to reach a coalition agreement that would support his future majority.
In recent days, some names of future ministers have also been released. Among the most controversial decisions is granting extensive powers to the Ministry of Public Security and to Itamar Ben Gvir, the leader of Jewish Power, known for inciting rhetoric against Palestinians. He has been accused 62 times of inciting riots, vandalism, and racial incitement, with eight convictions.
Bezalel Smotrich, another controversial figure whom Netanyahu intends to entrust with managing Israeli policies in the West Bank and the Ministry of Defense, supports the expansion of settlements and Israeli laws in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Another future minister is Avi Maoz from the Noam party, known for his homophobic and sexist positions. He proposed banning the gay pride parade in Jerusalem and opposes the integration of women in the military. He also plans to reform immigration to Israel based on the Law of Return, limiting it significantly to those of Jewish descent immigrating to Israel.
Other coalition partners include Aryeh Deri, head of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, who, despite a conviction for tax fraud, is in line for the Finance Ministry.
Judicial Reforms
In general, the coalition parties announced by Benjamin Netanyahu reject the idea of two independent states, one for Israelis and another for Palestinians in the West Bank with Jerusalem as a shared capital, a formula supported by the international community that has so far been the basis for all negotiations to end the conflicts.
However, there are other issues as well. The representatives of the new coalition government want to give parliament members the power to overturn Supreme Court decisions. The Supreme Court is Israel’s highest judicial body, which in recent years has rejected several proposals from governments led by Netanyahu. Most importantly, they have explicitly stated their intention to carry out reforms to end the corruption and fraud trials that Netanyahu is accused of.
A pivotal moment for two formations that until recently were on the fringes of Israeli political life and could count on very few parliamentary representatives, while thanks to the results of the November elections, they now have the chance to play a central role as a new majority in Israeli politics.
Facing criticism and fears from his opponents, Netanyahu preferred to pour water on the fire to calm the situation. He said, “I will keep my hands firmly on the wheel; I will not allow anyone to act against the LGBTQ community or discriminate against them or deprive Arab citizens of their rights. Time will prove me right.”
Bibi, a Hostage of the Right Wing
The new government, which Netanyahu is expected to unveil these days, will come to power after a year with the highest level of violence between Israelis and Palestinians in a decade. In the past twelve months, more than 150 Palestinians and about 20 Israelis have been killed in clashes between the two countries.
At the end of November, a twin bombing in Jerusalem killed one person and injured more than thirty, plunging the city back into a nightmare of attacks after a period of relative calm. The victim of these bombings was Aryeh Schupak, a 16-year-old Canadian student, who was hit by one of the two explosions that occurred near a bus station and died.
With the arrival of the new government and given the circumstances, no one predicts that the situation will improve. Political analyst Yossi Alpher noted that the new government could be an imminent disaster for Israel. No one guarantees that Netanyahu will be able or willing to restrain the radical parties to which he has granted unprecedented powers during negotiations.
Less than two months after Benjamin Netanyahu’s victory, Israel has a new government, the sixth led by Likud. However, the unity that the coalition showed during the election campaign was fleeting, and recent negotiations have revealed some differences between Netanyahu and his allies.
The decision to appoint the controversial figure Itamar Ben Gvir as Minister of National Security reflects the polarization of Israel’s political landscape. It is unclear what consequences the entry of these figures into the government might have on Israel’s relations with its international partners, primarily the United States and the European Union.
