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Israeli opposition leaders have agreed to form a government that could end Benjamin Netanyahu’s 12-year reign as prime minister of the Jewish state.
The coalition, which transcends the political spectrum – from the far-left Meretz party to the ultranationalist Yamina, anchored by centrist Yesh Atid – reached an agreement on Wednesday after days of frantic negotiations.
The so-called change government will be supported by Ra’am, an Islamist party that has been playing the role of a tie in two elections after four elections in two years. This is the second time in the history of Israel that an Arab party will play a role in a Zionist government, and the first time it has officially joined a coalition.
This grouping of several groups shares a single common goal: to remove Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, currently on trial for corruption. Netanyahu denies all allegations.
“This government will work to serve all the citizens of Israel, including those who are not its members, will respect those who oppose it and will do everything in its power to unite all parts of Israeli society,” Yair Lapid wrote to Yesh Atid, the president.
MPs will now vote for the government in about 10 days. Analysts have warned that the coalition with the majority of 61 seats out of 120 seats will still not get enough votes. If it fails, Israel will hold its fifth election in just over two years.
If he passes, Naftali Bennett, a tech millionaire who is right-wing than Netanyahu and will control just six seats in the 120-member Knesset, will become the next prime minister.
Bennett, 49, is a former supporter of Netanyahu, who headed his staff and later worked as a defense minister. He is ideologically opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state and previously clashed with Netanyahu for not doing so harder to come to Hamas, A militant group that controls the Gaza Strip.
Israel has called for the annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank and advocated the expansion of Jewish settlements, which most international communities consider illegal.
In two years, he will step down, and Lapid, a former middle-class TV presenter Yesh Atid, will be relegated to the first tier.
Negotiations took place when Bennett’s party, Yamina, considered control of the jury appointed by the judge. His political partner, Ayelet Shaked, has promised to continue the “Legal Revolution” designed to reduce the Supreme Court’s influence, and will rotate his seat on the judicial appointments committee with Labor Party leader Merav Michaeli.
Ra’am’s support depends on material benefits for the Israeli minority Muslim community, including more money for police, hospital and other civilian equipment. Human rights groups have reported that Israeli media have reported that Mansour leader Abbas Ra’am has called for changes in the law that mandates imprisonment for violations of building permits.
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