About 30 minutes before the deadline given to him by Israeli President Reuven Rivlin expired; Yair Lapid, leader of the Israeli “There is a Future” party, announced – on Wednesday evening – his success in forming a new government.
In the new government – which spans 12 continuous years of the rule of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – there will be independent parties (center) with 17 seats out of 120 in the Knesset, Yamina (right) with 7 seats, and “Labour” (left). With 7 seats, New Hope (right) with 6 seats, Blue and White (center) with 8, Meretz (left) with 6 seats, the United Arab List with 4 seats, and Yisrael Beiteinu (right) with 7. Seating.
The
back to power
On March 31, 2009, the leader of the right-wing Likud party Netanyahu – who headed the government from 1996 and 1999 – became prime minister again, succeeding Ehud Olmert, who was accused of corruption.
Netanyahu has formed a solid right-wing coalition, with the hard-right Avigdor Lieberman as foreign minister.
In 2013, a new government headed by Netanyahu was formed based on a majority that emerged from early legislative elections, and it consisted of the Likud, Yisrael Beitenu and Jewish Home parties led by Naftali Bennett.
The aggression on Gaza
In July 2014, the Israeli occupation army launched a major attack on the Gaza Strip, which is run by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), and the Israeli government said that the aim was to stop firing rockets and demolish tunnels dug in the Palestinian sector, which has been under Israeli siege since 2006.
The war against Hamas – which was the third since 2008 – killed 2,251 people on the Palestinian side, the vast majority of them civilians, and 74 people were killed on the Israeli side, almost all of them soldiers.
most right wing
On May 15, 2015, Netanyahu – who won the legislative elections in March – formed a new government that includes hardline ministers.
A year later, he reached an agreement to form a coalition government with the Yisrael Beitenu party and its leader, Avigdor Lieberman, who became defense minister. This government was considered the most right-wing in the history of Israel.
In June 2017, Israel gave the green light for the construction of the Amichai settlement, the first time that a new settlement was built in 25 years in the West Bank, which has been occupied by the Israeli army since 1967. Subsequently, settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories accelerated.
Demonstrations in Gaza
As of March 2018, thousands of Palestinians began to gather every Friday along the border between Gaza and Israel, which is heavily guarded by the Israeli army; to demand the lifting of the embargo. They also demanded their right to return to the lands from which they fled or were expelled from when Israel was established in 1948.
As of December 2019, about 350 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire, while 8 Israelis were killed.
Corruption accusations
On November 21, 2019, the Israeli attorney general brought charges of corruption and breach of trust to Netanyahu in 3 different cases.
This was the first time in Israel that a prime minister in office had been indicted. His trial began in May 2020.
The failure of the unity government
On March 2, 2020, Israelis went to the polls again, after legislative elections in April and September 2019 failed to resolve the outcome between Netanyahu and his main rival Benny Gantz.
In late March, Gantz tried to reach an agreement with Netanyahu to form an “emergency coalition” to confront the health crisis caused by the spread of the Corona virus.
On May 17, 2020, a national unity government was formed in Israel, and it was decided that Netanyahu would remain at its head for 18 months before stepping down from the position to Gantz, who was decided to remain in the position for a similar period of time. However, the government only lasted a few months.
normalization agreements
As of August 2020, 4 Arab countries – the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco – have normalized their relations with Israel, under the auspices of the United States under the leadership of former President Donald Trump.
Trump intensified his support for Israel, so he decided to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to occupied Jerusalem, and also recognized Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, and supported settlement in the West Bank.
Netanyahu again
On March 23, 2021, early legislative elections were again held. Likud was dissolved first, followed by the Yesh Atid (There is a Future) party headed by centrist Yair Lapid.
On April 6, he tasked Netanyahu with forming a new government, but he was unsuccessful. On May 5, President Reuven Rivlin asked opposition leader Yair Lapid to form a government.
The war on Gaza and Jerusalem
On May 10, 2021, after several days of Israeli attacks on Palestinians in occupied Jerusalem, storming Al-Aqsa Mosque and attacking worshipers inside, Hamas launched rockets at Israel from Gaza, while the Israeli army launched devastating attacks on homes and residential towers in the Strip.
Until the ceasefire entered into force on May 21, 254 Palestinians were killed by Israeli raids, while Israel announced the killing of 12 people as a result of the resistance’s rockets.
Towards a government without Netanyahu
On June 2, Lapid told President Reuven Rivlin that he had managed to gather the votes needed to form a government coalition that would remove Netanyahu from office after 12 years.
Lapid concluded an agreement with the leader of the religious right, Naftali Bennett, to form a government coalition, according to which they would rotate in the post of prime minister, with Bennett’s role being first.
If this coalition succeeds in forming a government that wins the confidence of the Knesset within a week, this will officially end the rule of the Likud leader.