Binyamin Netanyahu’s opponents reach a deal to replace him
But the prime minister won’t give up without a fightISRAEL is used to governments made up of disparate parties. But the coalition deal agreed on June 2nd, which would end Binyamin Netanyahu’s 12-year reign as prime minister, would be the most diverse in history.On the far right are Yamina—led by Naftali Bennett (pictured), once one of Mr Netanyahu’s most enthusiastic cheerleaders—and two other nationalist parties (Yisrael Beiteinu and New Hope). In the centre is the coalition’s largest party, Yesh Atid, led by Yair Lapid, a secularist. He is the architect of the new government. Under the deal, he would take over from Mr Bennett as prime minister if the government lasts more than two years.There are other centrist and left-wing parties in the coalition, but what makes it truly historic is the inclusion of Ra’am, which has four seats. It would become the first Arab party to join a government since Israel’s founding in 1948. For decades the Arab parties have been shunned and, in turn, shown little interest in joining a coalition. Ra’am will not hold any cabinet seats. But its leader, Mansour Abbas, used the party’s leverage as a potential kingmaker to obtain greater resources for Israel’s Arab minority.The coalition deal, which features eight parties in total and the necessary 61 seats, was finalised just before a midnight deadline. The potential new government still must win a confidence vote in the 120-seat Knesset (Israel’s parliament) in the coming days. Mr Netanyahu will undoubtedly do everything in his power to prevent that from happening.It took the parties opposed to Mr Netanyahu time to get their act together. In three of the four elections since 2019 they won a majority of seats, but they failed to join up before now. Weeks of nerve-racking negotiations over who got what cabinet posts preceded the current deal. At one point Mr Bennett abandoned the talks, reportedly citing the conflict in Gaza and Arab-Jewish clashes on the streets of Israeli cities last month. But his negotiations with the prime minister bore no fruit. “The elections have proven there is no right-wing government under Netanyahu,” said Mr Bennett on May 30th. “There’s unity or fifth elections.”In order to effectively lead the new government Mr Bennett will have to suppress some of his more right-wing views. In the past he has opposed a Palestinian state and favoured annexing much of the West Bank. He is an ardent supporter of settlers, once leading the council representing them (though he is not a settler himself). Some regard him as more right-wing than Mr Netanyahu, though not nearly as ruthless. He is also an observant Jew. If sworn in, he would be the first prime minister to wear a yarmulke, or Jewish skullcap.But Mr Bennett notes that he is not the only coalition member with what some might consider extreme views. “For the new government to succeed, all the partners will need to exercise restraint,” he has said. “No one will be asked to give up on their ideology, everyone will have to postpone the realisation of some of their dreams. We’ll focus on what we can do, instead of fighting over what we can’t.”Perhaps the coalition can take some inspiration from the Knesset’s election of a new president of Israel on June 2nd. The body voted overwhelmingly for Isaac Herzog, a former leader of the Labour party. The president’s role is mostly symbolic. Still, it was a rare display of consensus.Bibi’s last standMustering a majority is a big achievement for the opposition. But it is not over the finish line yet. The parties reportedly discussed a range of issues during their negotiations, from legalising cannabis to committee posts. Some reports suggested that there were still details to be hashed out. Then there is the confidence vote, which could take place as early as June 7th—although the speaker of the Knesset, a Netanyahu loyalist, could try to delay it by an extra week.In that time Mr Netanyahu will try to pick off wavering members of the coalition in order to deny it a majority. They are already coming under pressure. Members of Mr Bennett’s party have been called “traitors” by the prime minister’s allies. Protests have been held outside their homes. Senior rabbis have phoned them to warn of the spiritual dangers that the new government poses to the Jewish people.Then there is Mr Netanyahu himself. In a televised tantrum on May 30th, he accused Mr Bennett of carrying out “the fraud of the century”, later comparing the new coalition to Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria and to the rulers of Iran. “Don’t form a left-wing government—such a government is a danger to Israel’s security and future,” said Mr Netanyahu.Such intimidation has worked in the past. But Mr Netanyahu’s act is getting old. Mr Bennett has accused him of “trying to take the entire state of Israel with him to his personal Masada”—a reference to the hilltop fortress where Jewish rebels committed mass suicide 1,900 years ago, rather than be captured by Roman soldiers. He and others on the right turned on Mr Netanyahu not because they disagree with his hardline policies, but, as Mr Bennett explained, “because no one believed [his] promises would be kept.” ■