Israel’s parliament on Sunday voted against Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government

JERUSALEM: JUNE 13 – Israeli lawmakers are set to vote in parliament on Sunday against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu, the leader of Israel’s Likud party, has been Israel’s prime minister for the past 12 years.

Opposition groups called for a new coalition government to end Netanyahu’s ouster. The coalition’s sole purpose is to oust Netanyahu, who has ruled the country for the past 12 years, and to prevent parliamentary elections.

If the Israeli parliament, known as the Knesset, fails to replace Prime Minister Netanyahu, the country will have to go to the polls. Israel has held parliamentary elections four times since 2019, but neither party has been able to win a clear majority or form a coalition.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been widely accused of corruption, said the allegations were “unnecessarily high” and that he was not involved in any corruption.

As many as 2,000 protesters marched outside Netanyahu’s residence on Saturday night, demanding his ouster. Demonstrator Ophir Robinski said the day of Netanyahu’s departure had arrived.

A weak coalition of eight parties is challenging Netanyahu this time. The coalition also includes Arab lawmakers from the Jewish nationalist Yamina Party. A final agreement was signed between the party leaders on Friday to form an alliance.

The agreement was registered with the Parliament Secretariat, according to the Yamina party. Leader of the Opposition Yair Lapid has nominated Naftali Bennett as Prime Minister. In the event of a new government, former Secretary of Defense Bennett will be prime minister for the first two years.

Lapid, the leader of the Yesh Atid party, which plays a key role in building the coalition, will be prime minister for the next two years.

The coalition formed in opposition to Netanyahu includes three right-wing, two moderate and two leftist parties, as well as the Arab Islamic Party. -AFP