In addition to the challenges faced by the new Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in trying to unite an unlikely and ideologically diverse ruling coalition, analysts say he must also deal with his predecessor Benjamin. Netanyahu’s attempts to undermine the work of the government and bring it down.
On June 13, the Knesset announced the establishment of an eight-party coalition government led by the right-wing nationalist Bennett. The government is composed of left-wing, center-wing and right-wing parties as well as parties representing Palestinian Israeli citizens.
This is the end of Netanyahu’s 12-year term as prime minister. Netanyahu is the most dominant Israeli politician of his generation. He failed to form a government after the elections in Israel on March 23. The fourth parliamentary election in two years.
The corrupt trial denied by Netanyahu will only deepen his despair of regaining power. As the new opposition leader of the Knesset and the leader of the Likud group, the largest party in the parliament, he and his allies have been using a series of political methods. Frustrate the government’s strategy.
“Netanyahu and Likud are determined to undermine the ability of the new government to function properly,” Donna Robinson Devine, professor of Jewish studies at Smith College, told Al Jazeera.
“They are deploying every rule and procedure in the Knesset to oppose any proposal made by the government.”
“They exacerbated the confusion in discourses that are usually not entirely citizens. Therefore, Netanyahu’s approach is to set up various obstacles to the reforms and legislation that the coalition wants,” she said.
“Three Strategies”
“Netanyahu used three tactics in the desperation of bringing himself back to power, and by doing so, perhaps he could avoid facing various criminal charges again,” Ian Lustick, a professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania, told Peninsula TV station.
Lustick pointed out that the first strategy is to use various methods, insults and personal slander to shape the image of the new government as illegal or fraudulent.
Lustik said: “This includes disrupting the Knesset meeting, and until recently refused to vacate the prime minister’s house, and insisted that supporters continue to call Netanyahu the prime minister.”
Netanyahu also undermined Bennett’s authority by acting as if he was still in power, including his recent notification to the public that he had called the CEOs of Pfizer and Hyundai Pharmaceuticals to purchase more for Israel. New crown vaccine dose.
(Al Jazeera)Secondly, Lustic said that Netanyahu and his allies tried to obstruct the discussion in order to obstruct and delay government legislation, and proposed a series of bills aimed at taking advantage of ideological differences on controversial topics, thereby creating within the ruling coalition. Tensions; especially between Bennett and other parties, the former settler leader and far-right religious nationalist called for the annexation of most of the occupied West Bank.
“By raising issues such as settlements, (Palestinian Israeli citizens) rights, or how to strongly oppose U.S. contacts with Iran, create tensions within the ruling coalition and force the coalition to adopt a position that is unacceptable to the left or the right or both, “Lustic said.
Third, the opposition is also trying to coax or induce coalition members, including Defense Minister Benny Gantz, to abandon the alliance and instead support a new government agreement represented by Netanyahu.
(Al Jazeera)United by “strong disgust”
The coalition has little room for error. It has suffered some major failures in the Knesset, including its failure to extend a law that deprives people who are married to Israeli citizens of Palestinian origin and living in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. Citizenship and residency rights of Palestinians.
Netanyahu had previously supported the law, but voted against extending the law in early July.
In addition, since this is a government composed of relatively inexperienced politicians, it made several mistakes in its first month in power. For example, the Speaker of the Israeli Parliament, Mitch Levi, accidentally voted against a government-supported bill.
“The coalition had to be more adaptable to the work of governing, to prove that it can govern,” Devine said.
“If they want a political future in Israel, all of them have sufficient motivation to climb the steep learning peak quickly.”
Prime Minister Bennett, a former settler leader and far-right religious nationalist, called for the annexation of most of the occupied West Bank (Reuters)However, Lustic stated that the new government has also proven to be quite skillful in resisting Netanyahu’s sabotage attempts, and has put aside controversial topics that may widen the divisions within the alliance.
“Although the alliance contains factors that occupy a completely different position in the Israeli political arena, the issues that traditionally define Israeli politics are still how to deal with (occupied Palestinian) territory, and whether a two-State solution is reached through negotiations is completely removed from the agenda. ,” Lustick said.
Crucially, the alliance is united by the common dissatisfaction with Netanyahu.
“Due to the strong dislike of Netanyahu, the fear of the consequences of the Likud group and its ultra-orthodox allies regaining power, and the political wilderness after so long, they are eager to enjoy the privileges and the power to hold ministerial positions,” Lustick said.
Uriel Ablov, a visiting associate professor at Cornell University, told Al Jazeera that the alliance not only succeeded in overcoming the traps and challenges set by the opposition, but also had some success in outlining its own political agenda.
The coalition initiated bills aimed at advancing the resolution of corruption and nepotism, easing severe restrictions on the agricultural sector, and reforming the trade bureaucracy.
“Not only did it survive, but it also began to change the agenda and set some ambitious goals, outlining many much-needed reforms,” Ablov said.
“However, some serious mistakes, such as increasing the defense budget, may damage its development prospects and attractiveness.”
The coalition will face a key touchstone in November, when the new budget will need to be voted in the Knesset, and approval will require a simple majority.
Abulov said that although Israel’s political system has been shaken after four elections in two years, it has long faced threats of aggressive tactics, including those adopted by Netanyahu himself as an opposition in the 1990s. At the time, his behavior was “more radical and worse”; the post-Netanyahu era provided an opportunity to shift to a less hateful and divisive politics.
“Tribalism reached its peak under Netanyahu. Tribalism may begin to decline now, but the level of decline depends largely on the viability of the alliance and whether it can provide Israel with a new and exciting Vision, a vision that embraces all tribes and advances together,” Ablov said.
But if possible, Netanyahu will continue to seek to return to the post of prime minister, especially as the threat of going to prison looms over him.
“He will do everything he can to get back to power,” Abulov said.
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