JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
presented his new unity government to parliament on Sunday, ending
more than a year of political deadlock but still facing a trial
starting in a week for alleged corruption.
His power-sharing agreement with former election rival, centrist
Blue and White leader Benny Gantz, opens the way for the right-wing
Netanyahu to proceed towards a pledged de facto annexation of parts
of the occupied West Bank, land Palestinians seek for a state.
Under his accord with Gantz, after three inconclusive elections,
Netanyahu will remain prime minister for 18 months before handing
over to his new partner.
Gantz, a former armed forces chief, will be Netanyahu’s defence
minister and “alternate prime minister”, a new position that
Netanyahu will hold when Gantz is in charge.
By assuming that “alternate” premiership once he hands over to
Gantz, Netanyahu hopes to avoid having to resign from the
government under legal rules that allow a prime minister to remain
in office even if charged with a crime.
Israel’s longest-serving leader, Netanyahu, now 70, first came
to power in 1996 and has served three consecutive terms since 2009.
He goes on trial on May 24 on charges of bribery, breach of trust
and fraud, which he denies.
“The people wanted unity, and that is what it got,” Netanyahu
told parliament, citing a desire to steer clear of a fourth
election and the need for a national battle against the coronavirus
crisis.
Gantz, in his address to the legislature, said: “The biggest
political crisis in Israel’s history is over.”
Parliament is expected to formally approve the new
administration later on Sunday.
With a new government in place, Netanyahu would be poised to
proceed with his plan to extend Israeli sovereignty to Jewish
settlements and the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank,
territory Palestinians seek for a state.
He has set July 1 as a starting point for cabinet discussions on
the volatile issue, with no publicly stated deadline for approving
de facto annexation of land Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East
war.
Palestinians have vehemently opposed such a move, urging
international sanctions against Israel in response. It would be
certain to heighten tensions in the West Bank and Gaza that could
ignite anti-Israeli violence.
GANTZ CHANGE OF HEART
Gantz, 60, had cited the charges against Netanyahu in again
pledging to his voters after the latest election in March that he
would not serve in a government with Netanyahu. Angering many of
his supporters and splitting his own party, he made a deal in the
end, saying the coronavirus crisis made unity an imperative.
“The coronavirus crisis is an excuse to hold a corrupt
celebration at the taxpayers’ expense,” new opposition leader Yair
Lapid, who split from Gantz, said in parliament.
“You are establishing the biggest and most wasteful government
in Israeli history.”
The cabinet will have a record 36 ministers, with several new
posts created to ensure both Netanyahu and Gantz could dole out
cabinet seats to loyalists – deal-making that boosted the veteran
leader’s reputation as a political survivor.
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
presented his new unity government to parliament on Sunday, ending
more than a year of political deadlock but still facing a trial
starting in a week for alleged corruption.
His power-sharing agreement with former election rival, centrist
Blue and White leader Benny Gantz, opens the way for the right-wing
Netanyahu to proceed towards a pledged de facto annexation of parts
of the occupied West Bank, land Palestinians seek for a state.
Under his accord with Gantz, after three inconclusive elections,
Netanyahu will remain prime minister for 18 months before handing
over to his new partner.
Gantz, a former armed forces chief, will be Netanyahu’s defence
minister and “alternate prime minister”, a new position that
Netanyahu will hold when Gantz is in charge.
By assuming that “alternate” premiership once he hands over to
Gantz, Netanyahu hopes to avoid having to resign from the
government under legal rules that allow a prime minister to remain
in office even if charged with a crime.
Israel’s longest-serving leader, Netanyahu, now 70, first came
to power in 1996 and has served three consecutive terms since 2009.
He goes on trial on May 24 on charges of bribery, breach of trust
and fraud, which he denies.
“The people wanted unity, and that is what it got,” Netanyahu
told parliament, citing a desire to steer clear of a fourth
election and the need for a national battle against the coronavirus
crisis.
Gantz, in his address to the legislature, said: “The biggest
political crisis in Israel’s history is over.”
Parliament is expected to formally approve the new
administration later on Sunday.
With a new government in place, Netanyahu would be poised to
proceed with his plan to extend Israeli sovereignty to Jewish
settlements and the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank,
territory Palestinians seek for a state.
He has set July 1 as a starting point for cabinet discussions on
the volatile issue, with no publicly stated deadline for approving
de facto annexation of land Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East
war.
Palestinians have vehemently opposed such a move, urging
international sanctions against Israel in response. It would be
certain to heighten tensions in the West Bank and Gaza that could
ignite anti-Israeli violence.
GANTZ CHANGE OF HEART
Gantz, 60, had cited the charges against Netanyahu in again
pledging to his voters after the latest election in March that he
would not serve in a government with Netanyahu. Angering many of
his supporters and splitting his own party, he made a deal in the
end, saying the coronavirus crisis made unity an imperative.
“The coronavirus crisis is an excuse to hold a corrupt
celebration at the taxpayers’ expense,” new opposition leader Yair
Lapid, who split from Gantz, said in parliament.
“You are establishing the biggest and most wasteful government
in Israeli history.”
The cabinet will have a record 36 ministers, with several new
posts created to ensure both Netanyahu and Gantz could dole out
cabinet seats to loyalists – deal-making that boosted the veteran
leader’s reputation as a political survivor.