Israel’s parliament has sworn in Benjamin Netanyahu as the top state leader, introducing the nation’s most extreme right, strictly moderate government ever.
On Thursday, 73-year-old Netanyahu administered the oath of office shortly after the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, approved a vote of confidence in his new government. 63 of the 120 members of the parliament supported the new government, while 54 opposed it.
His swearing-in is both a personal return to power and the establishment of a government that has alarmed Palestinians and Israelis of the left.
Sara Khairat, reporting from West Jerusalem for Al Jazeera, stated that this has been in the works for nearly two months and is “quite a victory for Benjamin Netanyahu,” who formed a coalition with “a mix of an ultra-Orthodox and right-wing bloc.”
Khairat stated that the coalition consists of some of the most “right-wing politicians we’ve seen.” They were on the outside of politics, but now they’re on the inside.”
She stated from outside the parliament, where left-wing Israelis had gathered to protest, “Even though locals we’ve spoken to have said that yes, the process is democratic, they are very deeply concerned about the laws that have been put through.”
Far-right government
Netanyahu, who was state leader somewhere in the range of 1996 and 1999, and afterward somewhere in the range of 2009 and 2021, tended to a meeting of the Israeli parliament, or Knesset, in front of the vote.
The coalition partners of Netanyahu hold a majority in the Knesset. During his speech to the Knesset, he was heckled, and his opponents chanted, “weak.”
He stated that his top priorities would be putting an end to the “Arab-Israeli conflict,” halting Iran’s nuclear program, and expanding Israel’s military power.
It was anticipated that Netanyahu’s victory in the parliamentary elections on November 1 would bring an end to years of political unrest in Israel, which saw governments change hands multiple times and elections held five times in less than four years.
A lot of that was caused by strong political opposition to Netanyahu, who is being tried for corruption, which he denies.
However, in order to satisfy both his own Likud party and his far-right and ultranationalist coalition partners, it has required weeks of maneuvering and the introduction of new legislation.
As a result, a coalition has made it clear that its top priority is to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank, which is against international law.
That reflects the positions taken by far-right leaders who have been promoted to high positions, such as Religious Zionism leader Bezalel Smotrich and Jewish Power leader Itamar Ben-Gvir, both of whom have previously expressed support for Baruch Goldstein, a Jewish Israeli man who shot and killed 29 Palestinians at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron in 1994.
From a protest outside the parliament, left-wing Knesset member Ofer Cassif told Al Jazeera that Israel is moving in a “very dangerous direction.” He also said that the new government’s arrival would make Israel a “fully-fledged fascist state.”
Cassif added, “The international community must be aware of that and act on it.”
The makeup of the new government is probably going to additionally aggravate relations with the large numbers of Palestinians who live under Israeli occupation.
According to the United Nations, Palestinians have already experienced their deadliest year since 2006 due to Israel’s incoming government’s August offensive in Gaza and near-daily raids in the West Bank that have resulted in dozens of deaths and arrests.
Liberal Israelis have also voiced their disapproval of the new government, particularly in light of its positions on LGBTQ rights and the prime positions held by ultra-conservative religious figures.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who possesses a generally stylized job, has himself cautioned of the potential damage the new Israeli government could achieve, and was recently trapped in a hot mic saying that the “whole world” was stressed over figures, for example, Ben-Gvir going into government.
Attempted assurances
Netanyahu has attempted to dispel some of those concerns.
After his backers in the Knesset passed legislation that made it possible for his government to take office, he said on Wednesday, “We will establish a stable government for a full term that will take care of all Israel’s citizens.”
One bill specifically aimed at making it possible for Aryeh Deri, the leader of the ultraorthodox Shas party, to become a minister while serving a suspended sentence.
However, Smotrich and Ben-Gvir have received most of the attention and apprehension of the new government’s critics, both Israeli and Palestinian.
They are a part of the larger Religious Zionism ideology movement in Israel. In order to guarantee that they would not split again, the men’s separate parties ran on a joint list in the November elections.
Ben-Gvir, who was convicted in 2007 of “incitement against Arabs” after he called for Palestinians in Israel to be expelled, will become national security minister with increased authority over the police, including in the occupied territories. Smotrich and Ben-Gvir, both of whom live in illegal settlements in the West Bank, will occupy senior positions in the new government. Smotrich will be the finance minister and also have authority over settlements. Ben-Gvir will become the national security minister with increased authority over
The Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and what it currently stands in its current state are also concerns for Palestinians, who now fear that will result in what they would consider being even harsher policies toward them.
Jordan’s King Abdullah warned Israel on Wednesday not to cross any “red lines” in Jerusalem.
In an interview with CNN, he stated, “If people want to get into a conflict with us, we are quite prepared.”
Local media quoted Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem as saying later on Thursday, “confirm its fascism towards our people and our heroic [political] prisoners.” The new Israeli government’s policies
Qassem stated that the “Palestinian resistance” will not permit Netanyahu’s “new fascist government” to “cross red lines,” referring to the cabinet’s intention to annex the occupied West Bank and further expand the illegal settlement project.
He warned, “We are facing a new Zionist government, the most right-wing and extreme.”
Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority (PA), stated on Saturday that the slogan of the new Israeli government was “extremism and apartheid.”
However, Israel’s departing defense minister Benny Gantz informed Abbas via phone call on Wednesday that it was “critical to maintaining an open channel of communication and coordination” between the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli government.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES