Finally, A (Shaky) Government
Photograph of Israeli Prime-Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Vice Prime-Minister Benny Gantz. Photo courtesy of Agence France-Presse.
After three elections and a year and a half of political breakdown, Israel has formed a unity government between Likud Party leader Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz.
As a part of the deal, Mr Netanyahu will serve as Prime-Minister alongside Mr Gantz, under the title of Vice Prime-Minister and Defence Minister, for 18 months when he will turn power over to Mr Gantz. However, Mr Netanyahu will continue under the new title of 'Alternative Prime-Minister', which includes rights to live in the official government residence and exemption from a law mandating government ministers to resign while under indictment.
Mr Netanyahu is facing charges of fraud and of taking bribes, in return for political favours for multiple media moguls. Mr Netanyahu denies all charges, claiming that he is the victim of a media conspiracy to oust him from office. However, Prime-Ministers are not obligated to resign if they are indicted, despite the lack of precedent, according to Politico.
Mr Netanyahu's criminal trial is due to start on 24 May in Tel Aviv.
Mr Gantz had previously pledged not to serve under Mr Netanyahu (see article: Unseat King Bibi), due to his criminal indictment. However, upon the advent of the national coronavirus emergency, Mr Gantz reversed on his promise, saying that these were 'not normal times'.
The deal led to the disintegration of the centre-left bloc that previously supported Mr Gantz and the Blue and White Party. The centrist Yesh Atid and Telem parties refused to join the government and withdrew from Mr Gantz's bloc. The Labor party, which used to be the dominant party in Israeli politics, was also split, with two MKs joining Mr Gantz in the government and another sitting in opposition.
The coalition deal was initially challenged in the Israeli high court over claims that several terms of the agreement, including Mr Netanyahu's appointment as Prime-Minister while indictment, violated national law. However, the court dismissed the challenge stating that there were no legal grounds for the dismissal of the new government.
The government has been seen as the most bloated in Israeli history, with a total of of 36 ministers and 16 deputies, nearly half of the legislature, according to the British Broadcasting Corporation. Mr Netanyahu made commitments to appoint many of his coalition partners, but faced internal criticisms from Likud members, due to the lack of their inclusion.
Mr Netanyahu was forced to create a number of controversially vague ministries such as the 'Ministry for Community Development', 'Ministry for Community Development', and 'Ministry for Higher Education and Water Resources'.
After stepping down from his position as Speaker of the Knesset, Mr Gantz was replaced by Likud member Yariv Levin. However, Gabi Ashkenazi, one of Mr Gantz's political allies, was appointed as Foreign Minister, while Israel Katz, one or Mr Netanyahu's top deputy's, will be made Finance Minister.
In total, the government includes 73 MKs, out of the 120 members. However, it has already faced criticisms of being out of touch with their constituents, due to the unemployment rate rising past 25 per cent, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Another controversial part of the coalition agreement is Mr Netanyahu's promise to annex Jewish settlements of the Palestinian-controlled Jordan Valley. According to Al Jazeera, Mr Netanyahu intends to push ahead with his promise as soon as July. However, Mr Gantz reportedly would prefer to secure support from the international community, which overwhelmingly sees the occupation as against international law.
King Abdulla II of Jordan warned Israel of a 'massive conflict' in the event of annexation, while Palestinean Authority leaders have threatened to annul bilateral agreements between the two governments.
High Representative Josep Borrell, the European Union's Foreign Policy chief, released a statement saying 'We strongly urge Israel to refrain from any unilateral decision that would lead to the annexation of any occupied Palestinian territory and would be, as such, contrary to International Law' and promising to use 'all our diplomatic capacities' to prevent the move.
The annexation does align with the controversial Middle East Peace Plan, proposed by American President Donald Trump, which calls for Israeli sovereignty over parts of the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Many critics have accused Mr Netanyahu of rushing the annexation process before the American General Election in November, in which Mr Trump could be ousted by presumed Democratic candidate Joe Biden, who would most likely withdraw support for the plan.
In a speech to the Knesset, Mr Netanyahu said 'It's time to apply the Israeli law and write another glorious chapter in the history of Zionism', on the issue of establishing sovereignty over Jewish settlements in the Jordan Valley.
The foundations of the new coalition are incredibly shaky, with internal disagreement within the two leader's blocs and an inherent mistrust between the many parties, many do not expect the government to last beyond the COVID-19 crisis. Many pundits also question whether Mr Netanyahu will relinquish power after 18 months in office.
However, after nearly 500 days of political crisis, the rare national unity government is a welcome change for much of the population.
Sources:
'After 3 elections, Israel finally has a government'. Politico, Capitol News Agency, 17 May 2020
,https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/17/israel-netanyahu-gantz-elections-262858
'Israel swears in unity government after long political crisisIsrael swears in unity government after long political crisis'. BBC News, British Broadcasting Corporation, 17 May 2020,
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-52699156
Schwartz, Felicia and Lieber, Dov. 'Netanyahu Postpones Swearing In of Israeli Government Amid Party Discontent'. The Wall Street Journal, News Corporation, 14 May 2020
,https://www.wsj.com/articles/israel-set-to-swear-in-netanyahus-new-unity-government-11589459456
'Israel swears in new gov't as Netanyahu pledges annexation push'. Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera Media Network, 17 May 2020,
'Israel: Statement by the High Representative Josep Borrell on the formation of a new government'. European External Action Service, 18 May 2020,