New eclectic coalition in Israel, But is it durable?
After no less than four elections in two years, Israel has finally got a new dispensation helmed by Naftali Bennett, who brings a mere seven members into a rather eclectic coalition with a wafer-thin majority in the 120-member Knesset. The 49-year-old tech millionaire, leader of the right-wing Jewish nationalist Yamina party, and his unlikely coalition ended Benjamin Netanyahu’s 12-year-long stint with a cliffhanger 60-59 vote. Eight ideologically disparate parties united under the ‘Change Coalition’ slogan to effect this landmark change. When Bennett told Knesset that the new government “represents all of Israel”, it was no rhetoric. Bennett shares power with two left-wing parties, three from the right, two centrist outfits and even one conservative Arab Islamic party. Bennett himself is a staunch pro-expansionist. Little wonder that out in Gaza, Hamas described the Tel Aviv drama as of no consequence in the “nature of the relationship”. Netanyahu’s exit was partly a fallout of the 11-day war with Hamas. ‘Bibi’ was seen by his right-wing supporters to have gained nothing in the faceoff, while losing the battle of perceptions globally, particularly in the US. Many of those instrumental in ousting Bibi are a product of his right-wingism, including Bennett, who was earlier his defence minister.
As per the prenuptial agreement, Bennett will cede premiership in 2023 to Yair Lapid, a secular centrist and popular TV anchor credited with bringing together the anti-Bibi coalition. Lapid, now foreign minister, quickly made overtures to New Delhi in response to Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s tweet. Prime Minister Modi had a calibrated response, first acknowledging Netanyahu’s “personal” contribution to Indo-Israel relations and later welcoming the new order. It is not India, though, nor even the US, but the Iran policy that could determine the new regime’s durability. Meanwhile, stripped of power, Netanyahu will be exposed to a welter of corruption charges: Expect him, therefore, to try his level best to crawl back.