Israel parliament poised to vote on anti-Netanyahu gov't
13 June, 2021
Israeli lawmakers are to vote Sunday on a "change" coalition government of bitter ideological rivals united by their determination to banish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from power.
The crunch Knesset vote will either terminate the hawkish premier's uninterrupted 12-year tenure or return Israel to a stalemate more likely to trigger a fifth general election since 2019.
Netanyahu, who's battling a clutch of corruption charges in an ongoing trial he dismisses as a conspiracy, has pushed Israeli politics firmly to the proper over the years.
On Saturday night, around 2,000 protesters rallied beyond your 71-year-old's official residence to celebrate what they believe will be his departure from office.
"For us, that is a big night and tomorrow will be even a bigger day. I am almost crying. We fought peacefully for this (Netanyahu's departure) and your day has come," said protester Ofir Robinski.
A fragile eight-party alliance, which range from the right-wing Jewish nationalist Yamina party to Arab lawmakers, was early this month cobbled together by centrist politician Yair Lapid.
On Friday, all coalition agreements had been signed and submitted to the Knesset secretariat, Yamina announced, an instant party leader Naftali Bennett said brought "to a finish two . 5 years of political crisis".
But the ever-combative Netanyahu has tried to peel off defectors that would deprive the nascent coalition of its wafer thin legislative majority.
If the brand new government is confirmed, Bennett, a former defense minister, would serve as premier for just two years.
Coalition architect Lapid, who heads the Yesh Atid party and is a former television set presenter, would then take the helm.
The anti-Netanyahu bloc spans the political spectrum, including three right-wing, two centrist and two left-wing parties, along with an Arab Islamic conservative party.
The improbable alliance emerged fourteen days after an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas, the Islamist group that rules the Palestinian enclave of Gaza and following inter-communal violence in Israeli cities with significant Arab populations.
"We will continue to work together, out of partnership and national responsibility -- and I believe we will succeed," Bennett said Friday.
Sunday’s crucial Knesset session is because of open at 4:00 pm local time (1300 GMT), with Bennett, Lapid and Netanyahu ready to speak before the vote.
Netanyahu has heaped pressure on his former right-wing allies to defect from the fledgling coalition while attacking the legitimacy of the Bennett-Lapid partnership.
He has accused Bennett of "fraud" for siding with rivals, and angry rallies by the premier's Likud party supporters have resulted in security being bolstered for some lawmakers.
Netanyahu's bombastic remarks as he sees his grip on power slip have drawn parallels in the home and abroad to former US president Donald Trump, who described his election loss this past year as the consequence of a rigged vote.
The prime minister has called the prospective coalition "the best election fraud in the history" of Israel.
His Likud party said the accusations make reference to Bennett entering a coalition that "doesn't reflect the will of the voters".
Sunday's vote arrives hot on the heels of police crackdowns on Palestinian protests over the threatened eviction of families from homes in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem to make method for Jewish settlers, per month after similar clashes fueled the most recent war between Israel and Hamas.
In addition, it comes amid right-wing anger over the postponement of a controversial Jewish nationalist march.
Netanyahu favored finding ways to allow the so-called "March of the Flags", at first scheduled to occur last Thursday, to proceed as planned.
He took that position despite the original route envisaging the march unfolding near flashpoint areas like the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, where clashes last month triggered the Gaza conflict.
The premier's insistence saw his opponents accuse him and his allies of stoking tensions to cling onto power with a "scorched-earth" campaign.
If Netanyahu loses the premiership, he'll not have the ability to push through changes to basic laws that could give him immunity in regards to his corruption trial.
The controversial flag march is currently slated for Tuesday and ongoing tensions surrounding it might represent a key initial test for any approved coalition.
Source: japantoday.com