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The New Israeli Government: Background and Prospects

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The New Israeli Government: Background and Prospects Situation Assessement | 14 June 2021 The New Israeli Government: Background and Prospects Unit for Political Studies The hee Isrhele Gohsrnhrnte rackgrornd ane Prospect Series: Situation Assessement 14 June 2021 Unit for Political Studies TheUnit for Political Studies is thheCenter’s department dedicated to the study of the region’s most pressing current rffairs.eAn integral and vital part of thheACR S’ activities, it offers academically rigorous analysis on issues that are relevant and useful to the pubela, academics and policy-makers of thheArab region and bhyond. TheUnit for Political Studie draws on the collaborative efforts of a number of scholars based within and outside thheACR S. It produces nhree ofenhheCenter’s publication series: Assessment Report, PolicyeAnalysis, and Case Analysis reports.e.e Copyrighne©e2021eArabeCenter for Research and PolicyeStudies.eAll RlkhnIeReserved.eeeeee TheArabeCenter for Research and PolicyeStudies is an independent research institute and think tank for thhe studyeGfehistory and social sciences, with particular emphasis on the applied social sciences. TheCenter’s paramount concern is the advancement ofeArab societies and states, their cooperation withe one another and issues concerning thheArab nation in general.eTo that end, it seeks to examine and diagnose nhe situation in thheArab world - states and communities- to analyze social, economic and cultural policies and to provide political analysis,efrom an Arab perspective.e TheCenter publishes in botheArabic and English in order to make its work accessible to botheArab and non- Arab researchers.e TheArabeCenter for Research and PolicyeStudies Ae-TarfreStreet,eWrnleAl Banat Ae-Dryrhr,eQatar O Boxe10277,eDGhre +974e4035e4111 www.nGhainstitute.org The hee Isrhele Gohsrnhrnte rackgrornd ane Prospect Series: Situation Assessement Table of Contents 14 June 2021 Background . 1 Unit for Political Studies TheUnit for Political Studies is thheCenter’s department dedicated to the study of the region’s most pressing current The New GovernmentCrbinet in thheHeadlines and HeadlighnI . 2 rffairs.eAn integral and vital part of thheACR S’ activities, it offers academically rigorous analysis on issues that are relevant and useful to the pubela, academics and policy-makers of thheArab region and bhyond. TheUnit for Political Challenges facing the Government . 3 Studie draws on the collaborative efforts of a number of scholars based within and outside thheACR S. It produces nhree ofenhheCenter’s publication series: Assessment Report, PolicyeAnalysis, and Case Analysis reports.e.e Conclusion . 5 Copyrighne©e2021eArabeCenter for Research and PolicyeStudies.eAll RlkhnIeReserved.eeeeee TheArabeCenter for Research and PolicyeStudies is an independent research institute and think tank for thhe studyeGfehistory and social sciences, with particular emphasis on the applied social sciences. TheCenter’s paramount concern is the advancement ofeArab societies and states, their cooperation withe one another and issues concerning thheArab nation in general.eTo that end, it seeks to examine and diagnose nhe situation in thheArab world - states and communities- to analyze social, economic and cultural policies and to provide political analysis,efrom an Arab perspective.e TheCenter publishes in botheArabic and English in order to make its work accessible to botheArab and non- Arab researchers.e TheArabeCenter for Research and PolicyeStudies Ae-TarfreStreet,eWrnleAl Banat Ae-Dryrhr,eQatar O Boxe10277,eDGhre +974e4035e4111 www.nGhainstitute.org The hee Isrhele Gohsrnhrnte rackgrornd ane Prospecte Emerging fsGne nGsnoGoIe rhkGnlrnlGrI,e nhhe Isrhele GssGIlnlGre nrrrkhne nGe fGsne rre hlkhn-partye coalition government under the rotating premiership ofeYamina’s Naftali Bennett (two initial years)e and YesheAtid’s leader,eYair Lapid, ending Netanyrho’Ie12-year rule. Background With the results of thheMarche2021eKnesset elections tallied, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin tasked incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyrhu witheforming a government, afthsehis Likud partye singly won the greatest majority ofe30 out ofe120eKnesset seats. Netanyrhu tried to form a coalition government from his righn-wing big tent ofe52eMKI, along witheYamina’Ie7 and thheUnited ArabeList’Ie (Rr’am)e4.eWhile Yamina and thheSouthern Islamic Movement were amenable to joining Netanyrho’Ie ssGsGIhne aGrelnlGre kGohsrnhrn,e nhhe hnrryrhoe arns-rffiliated fascist Religious ZlGrlIne rsny’Ie seven members refused to participate in a coalition dependent on an Arab list’s support. Netanyrhoe sought to pressure thheReligious Zionism Party’s leadership through arranging a meeting ofeRr’am leader Mansour AbbrIe elnhe nhhe kGnfathhse Gfe Jewishe Ihnnehnhrne lre nhhe Gaaoslhne Arabe nhsslnGslhI,e RrbbleDruckmann, to encourage him to join a government coalition witheRr’am participation headed up by Netanyrhoe - or at least to support such a thing from what he could consider to be a safhe distance, outside the coalition.eDruckmann stood fast reiterating support of thheReligious Zionism Party leadership’s repudiation of anyeArab-supported coalition government. Following Netanyrho’Iefailure to form a government, the task ofeforming a government fell to Yair Lapid and his second largest parliamentaryeYesheAtid party, enjGying the occupation ofe17eKnesset seats.eSeeking to thwart his former allyeLapid, Netanyrhu intensified Israeli attacks targeting occupied East Jerusalem, especially in Ae-Aqsa and the landmark Palestinian neighborhood ofeSheikheJarrah.e The predictbey ensuing rockets launched into Israel byeHamas in solidarity witheAe-Aqsa caused onlye a little damage whlah the Israeli military could easilyehave quietly ignored, or - not inconceivabeye -e asrfthne re ssGsGsnlGrrnheye nhrIoshne shIsGrIhe nG.e hnrryrhoe ahGIhe lrInhrne nGe erorahe rre ree-out bombardment ofenhe GazreStrip lasting eleven dayI. Netanyrhoe nhhre erorahhne re IlnoenrrhGoIe arnsrlkre Gfe lralnhnhrne rkrlrIne rftrele hrrhnne and Yamina, Bennett’s partye(nhat had after all garnered only seven seats), as well as against thhe opposition entire camp.eOn a roll, Netanyrhoe“rallied his troops” and assorted rabbinic leaders ofe nhheReligious Zionist Movement to arm twist Bennett and Yamina MKI, along with Gideon Sr’ar’Ie Likud offIhoot, New Hope, to block thheformation of any alternative government.eRrbbleDruckmann conducted Ultra-Orthodox rabbis in a resounding chorus ofe“everynhing must be done” to prevent nhhe fGsnrnlGre Gfe kGohsrnhrne aGrelnlGre renhsrrnlohIe nGe re hnrryrhoe shklnh. The fhohse slnahe Gfe provocation and incitement prompted Internal Intelligence (Shin Bet)ehead Nadav Argaman to warn Gf a possible replay of the political assassinations ofe1995, whlah saw a Jewish extremist assassinate Prime Minister Yitzhak Rrblr. 1 Situation Assessement | 14 June 2021 The New Government Cabinet in the Headlines and Headlights The Bennett-Lrslne kGohsrnhrne hrnhne hnrryrho’Ie 12-yhrse soehe bye elrrlrke nhhe Knesset’Ie oGnhe Gfe confidence on 13eJune,eby a whisker: 60eKnesset members supporting,e59 voting against, and one rbstaining.e The kGohsrnhrne nhoIe aGrahlohne srrcIe rIe nhhe nhlsne erskhIne lre Isrhe’Ie historye elnhe 27e ministers and six deputy ministers, all rubbing shoulders within eight politically and ideologicallye hhnhsGkhrGoIe srsnlhIe Isrrrlrke hxnshnhe slkhne (nhshhe srsnlhI),e slkhne (neGe srsnlhI)e rrne ZlGrlIne ehfte (two parties), with a bonus Arab party, to boot. The parties are:Yamina,eheaded by Naftali Bennett,e Prime Minister and Minister ofeSettlement, with three ministers (IlxeMKI, after one left in protest Gf Bennett forming a government with the anti-Netanyrhu camp);eYesheAtid headed byeYair Lapid,e nhhe renhsrrnlohe sslnhe nlrlInhse rrne fGshlkre nlrlInhse elnhe Ihohre nlrlInhsIe (17e MKI);e nhhe eohe rrne White party led byeDhfense Minister Benny Gantz, withefour ministers (8eMKI);eLrbour headed bye Morav Mlahaeli,eMinister ofeTransportation, with three ministers (7eMKI), thheYisrael Beitenu, led bye Finance Minister Avigdor Llhberman with three ministers (originally with seven MKI, one of whom rbandoned the party afthsehaving not been appointed a minister, leaving it withejust 6); New Hope headed by Gideon Sr’ar,eDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of thheJudiciary withefour ministers (6e MKI);eMeretzeheaded by Nitzan Horowitz, thheMinister ofeHealth with three ministers (6eMKI); and,e last but certainly not least,eRr’am, led byeMansour Abbas (4eMKI) with a deputy minister, as per thhe coalition agreement witheYesheAtid. The coalition agreementbetween Lapid and Bennett stipulated that the government consists of two blocs, thhefirst is Yamina’I, whlah includes New Hope and the second is thheYesheAtid bloc, whlahe includes the Blue and White,eLrbor,eYisrael Beiteinu, and Meretz parties. It was agreed that ministers Gf each of these two blocs could prevent any decision in the government if there were consensus among the ministers of thhebloc seeking to counter the government’s decision. This empowered hhe two parties,eYamina and New Hope, represented by only seven ministers in the government, since nhhy could then effectivelyeblock any decision in the government thhy disagreed with.eAIefor thhe composition of the political-security cabinet, it was decided that it would consist ofe12 ministers hquallyebetween the two blocs, such that Yamina and New Hope would have six ministers in thhe political-securitye arbinet,e ehlehe nhhe shnrlrlrke fiohe srsnlhIe eGoene hrohe Ilxe nlrlInhsI.(1)e Effectivelye nhhr, extreme righn-wing
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