(HorizonPost.com) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s latest term in office has been the longest in the country’s history, lasting 12 years. However, several political parties have joined together for one purpose: removing him from office.
Israeli Political Structure
When voters go to the polls across Israel, they cast a ballot for the party, not the individual; they want to have a seat in the Knesset, which is their legislative body. That group then chooses a person to lead the country. Since there is very rarely a clear majority, the various parties will join with one another to form a coalition to cross the 50% threshold.
Netanyahu’s Opposition
In what some observers say is an odd mix of basic political ideologies, multiple parties have come together to remove PM Netanyahu — a.k.a. Bibi — from office. The reason for the raised eyebrows about this particular grouping is the presence of parties representing Arab interests— known as the United Arab List or Joint List.
The group’s representative is Mansour Abbas, who in the past has been a vocal supporter of a Palestinian State. In recent days he gave a stirring speech that at first blush appears moderate. However, some pundits in the country have noted his choice of words as well as the fact that the Israeli flag was not in view in the video feed, but the Islamist flag was prominent.
Potential Successor
The most prevalent name amongst those being considered as the next Prime Minister is Naftali Bennett. Bennett is a member of the right-wing Yamina party whose position on Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip is as hard-lined as Netanyahu’s and about the only thing they have in common. With diametrically opposed viewpoints, one is left to wonder what will happen if and when their single point of agreement has been resolved.
Netanyahu, for his part, apparently has no intentions of giving up. His ally, Yariv Levin, is the Speaker of the Knesset, which means efforts at a rush vote will be unlikely to succeed. This will give the embattled PM the chance to derail the fragile alliance, which only holds preeminence by a 61-59 margin.
Copyright 2021, HorizonPost.com
