Currents News Staff
Opposition leader Yair Lapid, alongside his main coalition partner, Naftali Bennett, got on the phone with the Israeli president to tell him one thing: they’re uniting to oust the prime minister out of office.
“Mr. President, I am calling you to say that I have succeeded in forming a government,” said Yair, the leader of Yesh Atid. “With the factions of Yesh Atid, Yamina, Kachol Lavan, Ra’am, New Hope, Meretz, and the Labor Party, all of them together, they signed for me.”
The unlikely allies, political rivals of longtime Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have announced a deal to form a unity government. That means Netanyahu would be ousted from office.
“Mr. President, we will do together whatever is good for Israel and will see you at the swearing in ceremony,” said Naftali Bennett, leader of the Yamina party. “Thank you very much.”
After four elections, and more than two years of political dysfunction, under the deal of this coalition, the right wing leader Bennett will serve as prime minister first. Then two years later, centrist leader Lapid would take over as part of a rotating leadership deal.
And for the first time in Israeli history, an Arab Israeli party will also be part of the coalition. Earlier in the week, Netanyahu spoke out, denouncing Naftali Bennett as a man who cared about nothing but becoming prime minister. That reminded Israelis that before the March election, Bennett said he would not sit in a government led by Lapid.
“I heard Mr. Bennett,” the prime minister said. “To my sorrow, he is misleading the public. The same lies, the same hate, as somebody who is assisting for division and hate.”