The reign of ‘Bibi’ is over, for now

The ousted leader has vowed to topple the ‘dangerous’ new govt. of PM Bennett

Stanly Johny oppose the peace policies of kened the brand of Netanya- Labor Prime Minister Yitz- hu. He is also facing corrup- Supporters call him ‘King Bi- hak Rabin and continued to tion charges. Even the Gaza bi of Israel’. Detractors de- call Yasser Arafat a terrorist. bombing, which many pred- ride his right-wing politics, When Rabin was assassinat- icted would help him politi- polarising leadership and ed in November 1995 by a cally, appears to have back- bellicose foreign policy. But Jewish extremist, many crit- fired as his right-wing allies Benjamin Netanyahu has ics said Mr. Netanyahu’s hy- criticised the ceasefire with been a domineering pre- perbole speeches at rallies Hamas, calling it “a surren- sence in Israel’s politics for where crowds chanted der”. more than three decades. On “death to Rabin” fuelled ex- Sunday, his illustrious politi- tremism and incitement. Fragile coalition cal career suffered a major Benjamin Netanyahu But it did not deter Mr. Ne- When his grip on Israeli pol- setback when a coalition tanyahu. In 1996, he became itics finally started loosening formed by his former proté- be elected Prime Minister on Israel’s youngest Prime Mi- up, his political rivals found gés proved majority in the Sunday, in the Knesset, he nister. Under his watch, the an opportunity. Mr. Lapid Knesset, the Israeli Parlia- threatened to “topple the Oslo process slowed down. stitched together a coalition ment, bringing an end to Mr. dangerous left-wing govern- After losing power in 1999, of eight parties, from the Netanyahu’s 12 years of con- ment”. The message is clear he was in the wilderness right-wing Yamina of Mr. secutive rule. — Mr. Netanyahu is already briefly when Labour leader Bennett to the Arab Ra’am. Arguably, no politician plotting a comeback. Ehud Barak revived the This is the first time an Arab has managed to influence Is- peace process. But the 2000 party is joining a ruling coali- rael’s domestic and foreign Opposition to Oslo talks Camp David summit failed. tion in the history of Israel. policies as much as Mr. Neta- Born in Israel and brought Palestinian territories erupt- In the Knesset, Mr. Neta- nyahu has done in the new up partly in the U.S., Mr. Ne- ed into the Second Intifada. nyahu has made it clear that century. He ruled from the tanyahu, like most Israelis, When Liku came back to he will not give up. He has right, made alliances with a served in the military in the power, Mr. Netanyahu called the coming together host of Jewish orthodox par- 1970s, along with his brother of the diverse parties an ties, took a harder line to- Yonatan Netanyahu. Yonatan NEWS ANALYSIS “election fraud”. On the oth- wards the Palestinians, ex- was killed in 1976, at age 30, er side, the Lapid-Bennett panded the Jewish during an operation to res- played second fiddle to Ariel coalition is visibly weak. settlements in the Palesti- cue hostages held at Ugan- Sharon. But the party came When Mr. Lapid announced nian territories, repeatedly da’s Entebbe Airport. Mr. Ne- into his hands when Sharon the coalition earlier this bombed Gaza, clashed with tanyahu rose to fame in the left Likud in 2005 to form Ka- month, he had the support the Obama administration 1980s when he was posted as dima. As Likud chief, he sat of 61 Members of the Knesset over the Iran deal, took Is- Israel’s Ambassador to the in the Opposition. It was dur- (MKs) out of 120. During the rael’s covert and overt opera- UN. A fluent speaker in En- ing this period that Mr. Ben- vote on June 13, the govern- tions to Iran and Syria, made glish with an East Coast ac- nett joined the Netanyahu ment got the backing of 60 peace with four Arab coun- cent, he was a regular pre- team. A U.S.-based entrepre- MKs as against the Opposi- tries and clung on to power sence in American TV shows neur, Mr. Bennett became tion’s 59 — one MK from despite repeated failures to during that time. After re- Mr. Netanyahu’s Chief of Ra’am abstained. It would be form a stable government turning to Israel, he plunged Staff. Mr. Netanyahu came to an uphill task for Mr. Bennett since 2019. into politics, in 1988, in the power again in 2009. Twelve to keep his bloc together, es- Even after the ‘change’ midst of the First Intifada by years later, the same Bennett pecially when sensitive is- coalition was formed under the Palestinians. Mr. Neta- would dislodge his former sues such as Jerusalem and the leadership of centrist nyahu built a political career boss from power and take Jewish settlements come up. politician Yair Lapid and by opposing the Oslo peace his job. But to begin with, they did right-wing leader Naftali process in the early 1990s. In the past, Mr. Netanyahu what seemed impossible till Bennett, Mr. Netanyahu In 1993, when he was 43, had mastered the art of sur- a few months ago — ousting tried till the last moment to Mr. Netanyahu became the vival. But his repeated failure Mr. Netanyahu from power. subvert government forma- leader of Likud. He lambast- to form a stable government For Messrs. Lapid and Ben- tion. And after it became cer- ed the Oslo Accords, attend- after four elections since nett, that itself is an achieve- tain that Mr. Bennett would ed right-wing rallies held to 2019 appeared to have wea- ment.