After months of political turmoil, Naftali Bennett of the Yamina Party is eyeing the post of Prime Minister, aiming to put an end to over 12 years of rule by Benjamin Netanyahu—who was unable to cobble together a majority-winning coalition despite four elections between 2019 and 2020.
Bennett said his Yamina party was working to form a government with Yair Lapid, head of the Yesh Atid party that had won 17 seats in Israel’s 120-member Knesset in the most recent election. Bennett said Netanyahu had no options to form a coalition, with the only possible outcomes now being a fifth election of the “change bloc” of anti-Netanyahu parties.
Earlier in the day, Bennett had reportedly told party members he was going to join a "government of change” that would oust Netanyahu. Bennett on Sunday was expected to announce that he would join his right-wing Yamina party with the centrist Yesh Atid, which won the second-largest number of seats in the March 2021 election (17 seats).
The move comes with just days to spare before Israel is forced into its fifth election in two years, as Lapid had a deadline of Wednesday to cobble together an alliance,
Another key player will be the Blue and White Party, whose coalition talks with Yesh Atid are still ongoing. Blue and White's eight seats will be one of of many crucial pieces for an anti-Netanyahu coalition to succeed.
However, one Yamina party member is expected to rebel against the decision, Amichai Chikli. Israeli Channel 12 also cited “right-wing sources” to say that Yamina party’s No. 2 leader, Ayelet Shaked , was not certain of backing a government with Lapid. According to the Times of Israel, the coalition would have just 61 members support, meaning that if even one backed out, it would fall.
Another force will be that of the Arab party, Raam, whose four seats will also be crucial.
An Arab party has never been part of a ruling coalition in Israel. However, while Raam opposes working with any of the far-right parties, the far-right parties in turn oppose working with Raam. Political challenges for such a match have intensified following the ongoing hostilities with Gaza.
Time may be up for Netanyahu, who at 71 faces both anti-incumbency and corruption charges.
Of the 120 seats in the Knesset, 61 are needed to form a majority. The party with the most seats, Netanyahu’s Likud (with 30 seats), was unable to retain power despite a brief coalition with Blue and White (17). Now, it's the candidate from a much smaller party, Naftali Bennett from Yamina (with seven seats), who could become Israel’s next Prime Minister.
Bennet, 49, is Netanyahu’s former chief of staff. In an election dominated by “Bibi or no Bibi” (referring to the nickname of Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-running Prime Minister), Bennett is seen as someone who may be able to reach across the aisle to parties on both sides.
The development comes as foreign ministers from Israel and Egypt negotiate extending the ceasefire between Hamas and the Israeli military. Since May 10, hostilities between Israel and Hamas have reached levels not seen since the 2014 Gaza War. Over 242 have been reported dead in Gaza following a series of Israeli air strikes, while 12 civilians have been killed in the Israeli side following rocket attacks by Hamas.
