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Benjamin Netanyahu’s rivals were on the brink of removing him from power on Sunday after Naftali Bennett, a right-wing firebrand, signalled that he would join a coalition government with centrist leader Yair Lapid.
Mr Bennett, the leader of the Yamina party, and Mr Lapid are said to be closing in on a coalition deal that unites parties across the political spectrum, in a move that would oust Israel’s longest-serving and most controversial prime minister after 12 years in power.
According to Israeli media reports, Mr Bennett, a former defence minister and modern Orthodox Jew, has told allies in Yamina that he is ready to form a “change” government where he would serve as prime minister for two years before handing the reins to Mr Lapid.
Mr Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption charges that he strongly denies, was desperately trying to scupper the emerging coalition on Sunday by offering a power-sharing agreement to Mr Bennett and the right-wing New Hope leader Gideon Saar.
“We are at a fateful moment for Israel’s security, character and future, when you put aside any personal considerations and take far-reaching and even unprecedented steps,” Mr Netanyahu said in a video statement.
However, Mr Saar has already rejected those overtures and has maintained his support for the anti-Netanyahu coalition.
Even if Mr Bennett’s so-called “change” coalition ousts Mr Netanyahu, the alliance has little in common beyond its determination to end the Netanyahu dynasty.
It would also require external support from Arab members of parliament who vehemently oppose Mr Bennett’s wider political agenda, such as annexing swathes of the West Bank, which is claimed by the Palestinians as their own land.
Due to the fragility of the alliance, it would likely avoid controversial policies such as settlement expansion and instead focus on reviving Israel’s economy in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Mr Bennett was due to announce his bid to become Israel’s next prime minister in a speech on Sunday evening, in what could end the worst political crisis in Israel’s modern history.
Since April 2019, the Jewish state has held four inconclusive elections and is set to call a fifth later this year if coalition talks between Mr Lapid and Mr Bennett fall at the last hurdle.
At a meeting with Yamina members of parliament on Sunday, Mr Bennett reportedly said he was “marching towards a government of change.” He has also insisted, in response to criticism for joining forces with Arab and left-wing parties, that it is the only way to avoid fifth elections.
Mr Lapid, the head of the centrist Yesh Atid party, currently holds the mandate to form a new government but must finalise his power sharing agreement with Mr Bennett before the deadline on Wednesday.
If the coalition is sworn in, Mr Bennett would become Israel’s first devoutly religious prime minister, marking an extraordinary rise to power since entering politics in 2006.
A self-made millionaire and former special forces commando, the Yamina leader has spent much of his political career trying to step out of Mr Netanyahu’s shadow.
The 49-year-old served under Mr Netanyahu as diaspora affairs minister from 2013 to 2019 and then defence minister from 2019 to 2020.
An outspoken supporter of expanding Israel’s settlements in the West Bank, Mr Bennett claims to be “more right-wing” than his former mentor.
On Sunday, Mr Netanyahu’s Likud party lashed out at reports that Mr Bennett was poised to remove him from power by joining forces with a motley alliance of centrists, left-wingers and the Arab United List.
The power sharing deal would also include the Blue and White faction led by Benny Gantz, along with the hard-Right party Yisrael Beiteinu.
“The only thing consistent about Bennett is the hoodwinking of his constituents and the rest of right-wing voters, and throwing the ‘principles’ he talked about into the trash, all to be prime minister at any price,” Likud said in a statement.
Mr Bennett and Mr Lapid had already been close to securing an agreement earlier this month, but the talks were suspended following the outbreak of the conflict in Gaza.
Mr Lapid suggested at the time that Mr Netanyahu had engineered the conflict in the hopes that it would help him cling to power.
“If we had a government, security considerations would not be mixed with political considerations,” Mr Lapid claimed in a post on Facebook. “No one would ask themselves why the fire always breaks out just when it’s most convenient for the prime minister.”
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