Under strict restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease, thousands of citizens in Israel are protesting against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This is the second time within the space of a week Israeli citizens are voicing their displeasure against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hold on power, despite criminal charges levelled against him.
How Did Israel Get Here?
About two months ago, the Israeli Judiciary announced that PM Netanyahu was scheduled to appear in a court hearing on 17 March for the start of a corruption trial, after he was indicted for fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes. This trial was scheduled to happen two weeks after the third round of elections in Israel that left him leading in numbers but not having enough to secure him a majority in parliament.
Luckily for Netanyahu, the Israeli justice ministrydeclared that courts would be closed for all but emergency hearings due to the coronavirus crisis and adjourned the hearing of his case for May 24. This bought PM Netanyahu more time to again convince his main rival, Benny Gantz, to form a coalition government.
All Things Are New
After several failed attempts to get Gantz on his side, Netanyahu won what could be his biggest political victory in Israel recently. On 20th April, the Prime Minister and Benny Gantz announced that they had formed an emergency coalition government.
Someone Had to betray His Supporters
A staunch opposition of Netanyahu, Gantz had maintained he wouldn’t form a unity government with a politician accused of corruption but desperate times may have caused him to change his mind. “These are not normal days and they call for special decisions. Therefore, as I’ve said, I intend to examine and advance, in any possible way, the creation of a national emergency government,” he explained.
Yair Lapid, one of Gantz’s strongest allies criticized this move. “It’s a disappointing decision. What’s being formed today isn’t a unity government and not an emergency government. It’s another Netanyahu government. Benny Gantz surrendered without a fight and crawled into Netanyahu’s government, joined the Haredi-extremist bloc,” Lapid said in a statement.
The Good News First, Israel, Then The Bad
This new coalition has ended a persevering political war and averted what would have been the fourth election for Israel in the past year, but it will keep Netanyahu in power while he faces criminal charges. Also, being head of this unity government, PM Netanyahu has unmatched influence over the appointment of judges and legal officials. For the Israeli people, this will not stand.
Benjamin Netanyahu is Isreal’s longest-serving prime minister and has a long and intense political history. He has been in power since March 2009. The leader of the Zionist movement with this new support will serve as prime minister for the next 18 months, through September 2021, after which Gantz will take over his role while Netanyahu may take up a ministerial position.
