Benjamin Netanyahu leaves office after 12 years in power. The new cabinet is a coalition. The first half of the term will be chaired by Naftali Bennett, head of the right-wing Yamina party. In alliance with him are the centrists Yair Lapida, who will have to become prime minister for the second half of the term, and in the meantime will take the post of foreign minister.
Naftali Bennett, Israel’s new prime minister: “The government will unite representatives from all of Israel, from Ofra to Tel Aviv, from Rahat to Kiryat Shmona, and this will give us new opportunities.”
The coalition called their union “Government of Change.” At the same time, the Knesset approved the new cabinet with a margin of only one vote.
Benjamin Netanyahu, ex-prime minister of Israel: “You say that about national unity, but a government that ignores 53 mandates of the real right-wing forces cannot be called a government of unity.”
Netanyahu’s supporters from the radical right-wing religious parties interrupted the speakers with shouts, and they even had to be taken out of the hall. Bennett admitted that there are many differences in his coalition, and therefore the cabinet will primarily work on issues that do not cause controversy.
Opponents of the outgoing prime minister took to the streets, calling on him to be tried: Netanyahu and his wife were involved in a number of corruption scandals, and only the immunity of the head of the cabinet defended the politician from full-scale proceedings.