Benjamin Netanyahu, who won the parliamentary elections on November 1 with his allies, must inform President Isaac Herzog by Wednesday evening that he has succeeded in forming the next government.
Minutes before a crucial deadline, Israeli Prime Minister-designate Binyamin Netanyahu announced late Wednesday evening that he could form the next government with his partners from the ultra-Orthodox and far-right parties. Benyamin Netanyahu, who along with his allies won the November 1 general election, had until 23:59 (21:59 GMT) on Wednesday to tell President Isaac Herzog that he had been “successful” in leading the next government Form and thus succeed the outgoing Prime Minister Minister Yair Lapid.
The most righteous government in the history of Israel
“I have it,” Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted in Hebrew minutes before that deadline to announce the formation of the next government. For its part, the Israeli Presidency confirmed to AFP that Benyamin Netanyahu “called” Isaac Herzog “to inform him of this news in good time.” “Dear President, thanks to the tremendous public support we received during the last elections, I inform you that I have been able to form a government that will act in the interests of all citizens of Israel,” added the first ministers in a statement.
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After the elections and under Israeli law, Binyamin Netanyahu had until December 11 to announce his government, but he had requested a 14-day extension, the legal maximum. However, President Herzog had given him only ten extra days and the Israeli press expected an announcement later that day, although the exact composition of the next government has not yet been finalized. However, the partners are well known in what analysts say is the most far-right government in Israel’s history: the two ultra-Orthodox parties Shass and United Torah Judaism (UJT) and the three far-right formations Religious Zionism. by Bezalel Smotrich, Jewish Force by Itamar Ben Gvir and Noam by Avi Maoz.
“A democracy that has the name but not the essence”
In recent weeks, Binyamin Netanyahu’s party, the Likud, has signed agreements with far-right parties that would see the distribution of certain posts, such as Minister of National Security to Itamar Ben Gvir, in charge of the West Bank squatted settlements in Bezalel Smotrich, or a Portfolio in Arié Dery, leader of Shass. However, Israeli lawmakers have yet to vote on the second and third readings of bills allowing Arie Dery to serve as minister after he was found guilty of tax evasion and Itamar Ben Gvir, his future powers as minister to the Israel Police Force to expand
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Israel’s Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara warned last week that future government bills threatened to turn Israel into a “democracy in name but not in essence.” “The politicization of law enforcement will deal a severe blow to the most fundamental principles of the rule of law, namely equality, absence of arbitrariness and impartiality,” she added, specifying that the current “legislative blitz” could lead to “profound” Changes and required “further discussions”. With 15 years in office (1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021), the longest-lived head of government in the history of Israel and therefore used to forming coalitions, Benyamin Netanyahu also has to distribute ministerial portfolios as part of his own training.