Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began intensive moves to thwart the government, whose opponents announced that they had reached an agreement to form it and called it the “government of change.”
Axios website quoted informed sources as saying that Netanyahu told members of his right-wing bloc and settler leaders, during a meeting yesterday, Thursday, that Prime Minister-designate Naftali Bennett would not be able to confront US President Joe Biden on Iran or fend off US pressure on the Palestinian issue. Read also After his failure to form a government and his defeat in Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa .. What does Netanyahu want from Gaza?The government of Israel..Netanyahu’s opponents allied to bring him down Will Lapid succeed in forming a new government in Israel that can withstand?
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Netanyahu claimed during the meeting that Bennett would acquiesce if the United States demanded a freeze on settlement construction in the West Bank, and questioned whether Bennett would be able to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon even if that might cause tensions with the Biden administration.
The leader of the “There is a Future” party, Yair Lapid, announced on Wednesday evening that he had succeeded in forming a government in cooperation with the leader of the “Yamuna” party, Naftali Bennett.
Lapid informed President Reuven Rivlin of his success in forming a government that would alternate with Bennett, who would take over the task first.
In the new government – which spans 12 continuous years of Netanyahu’s rule – there will be independent parties (center) with 17 seats out of 120 in the Knesset, Yamina (right) with 7 seats, and Labor (left) with 7 seats, New Hope (right) with 6 seats, Blue and White (center) with 8 seats, Meretz (left) with 6 seats, the United Arab List with 4 seats, and Yisrael Beiteinu (right) with 7 seats.
denial of trust
Netanyahu seeks to mobilize support in order to prevent the “government of change” from obtaining confidence in the Israeli parliament (the Knesset), and urged right-wing representatives not to vote of confidence in the new government, which he described as “dangerous leftism.”
Netanyahu also called the leaders of the settlers, the coalition of racist parties and his party’s deputies to an emergency meeting on Thursday in order to draw up a plan to thwart his opponents’ government before submitting it to the Knesset for confidence, as no date has yet been set.
Israeli sources said that: Netanyahu wants to put pressure and move in an attempt to incite deputies from the right-wing “Yamana” and “New Hope” parties – participating in the new government – against the attempt to change the current Speaker of the Knesset Yariv Lavin, who is close to Netanyahu, and also to obstruct this combination – the problem. Of the 8 parties opposed to it – to trust the Knesset when it is presented.
The sources added that Netanyahu is practicing a campaign of incitement and threats by describing the government as dangerous leftist for Israel, and accusing the leaders of the right-wing parties participating in it of betraying the right he leads.
American support
On the other hand, US State Department spokesman Ned Price said yesterday that the United States’ strong support for Israel will continue regardless of any change in its government.
“No matter what happens and which government is formed, our unwavering and strong support for Israel will remain,” he added.
In turn, the White House said yesterday, Thursday, that Israel will remain an important strategic partner of the United States, in response to a question about whether America’s policy will change if Netanyahu’s opponents succeed in forming a government.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said at a regular press briefing that the political formation of the new government in Israel is a matter of the parties participating in it.
“Israel will remain an important strategic partner, a partner with which we have a permanent security relationship, and this will continue,” she added.
In the same context, on Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz, during his meeting in Washington with senior officials, received assurances of American support for the next prime minister of Israel, whoever he was.