Netanyahu is out of power after 12 years, Bennett is the new Prime Minister

KATHMANDU: JUNE 14 – Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been in power for 12 years after Israel’s parliament elected a new leader, has lost his post as prime minister. Right-wing nationalist Naftali Bennett has been sworn in as leader of a “government of change.”

Bennett was elected prime minister by parliament, leading an unprecedented coalition with a narrow 60-59 majority. According to the power-sharing agreement, he will be the prime minister until September 2023.

He will then hand over the PM’s job to Yair Lapid, the leader of the Yesh Atid party, for another two years. Netanyahu is Israel’s longest-serving leader.

He has dominated Israeli politics for years and will be the leader of the right-wing Likud party and the leader of the opposition. Speaking in parliament, Netanyahu said, “We will return. After the vote, he walked over to Bennett and shook hands with him.

But Palestinian representatives have reacted in a way that shows little interest in the new Israeli government. “It simply came to our notice then. Our view is clear. We want a Palestinian state based on the 1967 border and with Jerusalem as its capital, “said a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

A spokesman for Hamas, which controls Gaza, called Israel a “colonial body” and said it should use force to resist. US President Joe Biden has sent a congratulatory message to Bennett, saying he wants to work with him.

What can Netanyahu do now?
“It’s hard to break old habits,” says Tom Bateman, the BBC’s Middle East correspondent. According to him, after the results of the vote of confidence were announced, Benjamin Netanyahu went to the Prime Minister’s Chamber inside the parliament building.

In fact, he had to sit on the opposition bench. According to Bateman, the departure of Israel’s longest-serving leader was a moment in political history. But he doesn’t seem to be going anywhere for now.

As opposition, Netanyahu will continue to build new alliances and continue to break existing ones. This is likely to be the most volatile alliance ever. Naftali Bennett will have to move forward by bringing all parties together. -BBC