However, the 73-year-old veteran politician promised to serve all Israelis, “those who voted for us and those who didn’t – it’s my responsibility.” “I have decided to entrust you, Benjamin Netanyahu, with the task of forming a government,” President Isaac Herzog told him at a ceremony in Jerusalem. Israel has experienced a period of unprecedented political deadlock that has forced five elections in less than four years. Netanyahu’s Likud party and its ultra-Orthodox and ultra-nationalist allies came out on top in the Nov. 1 election, ending the short-lived, ideologically diverse government that ousted him last year after 12 consecutive years in power. They received a clear majority in the 120-seat parliament. Netanyahu, who faces corruption charges in court, will have at least 28 days to form a coalition with his allies – two ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties and a rising far-right alliance called Religious Zionism. With the horse-trading already underway, he’ll try to wrap up the negotiations quickly. Key portfolios, including those of the finance and defense ministries, could prove a sticking point, as they have already been publicly requested by the leaders of Religious Zionism. Herzog noted Netanyahu’s ongoing trial: “I am not unaware, of course, of the fact that there are ongoing legal proceedings against Mr. Netanyahu in the Jerusalem District Court, and I do not underestimate that at all.” However, he made it clear that Netanyahu could be prime minister while disputing the allegations. Netanyahu’s next moves will be closely watched as concern grows in some quarters about his policy plans and the goals of his controversial government partners. The new government is expected to pass sweeping judicial reforms, a longtime priority of Israel’s right. This could include a so-called “override clause” that gives parliament the right to overrule the High Court whenever it declares legislation illegal. The planned reforms would seriously weaken the court. Netanyahu’s government may also take control of the appointment of Supreme Court judges, a role currently held by a committee of lawmakers, sitting judges and lawyers. “It’s hard for me to overstate the harm and the danger” of the proposed reforms, said Suzy Navot, a professor of constitutional law at the Israel Democracy Institute think-tank.
“Very sensitive questions”
Netanyahu is back in power after five elections in less than four years that were all essentially a referendum on his ability to serve while on trial for corruption. It was ousted last year by a coalition of eight parties united in their loathing of Netanyahu, but eventually collapsed due to infighting. Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, co-leaders of the Religious Zionism bloc, have publicly called for control of the public security and defense ministries. Ben-Gvir has been repeatedly convicted of inciting and supporting a terrorist group. With police overseeing key holy sites in Jerusalem, his appointment to such a sensitive post could inflame tensions with the Palestinians. Smotrich, a Jewish settler in the West Bank who supports the annexation of parts of Palestinian territory, is claiming the defense portfolio – the main enforcer of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank. Violence has soared between Israel and the Palestinians this year. The past few months have been the deadliest period in years in the occupied West Bank, according to the United Nations, with near-daily army raids and an increase in attacks against Israeli forces. Netanyahu’s previous terms saw little left of the Middle East peace process collapse in a wave of Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank. Herzog, whose role is largely symbolic, was reported to have tried to persuade outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid and his defense minister, Benny Gantz, to form a unity cabinet with Netanyahu to prevent Ben-Gvir from enter the government. The presidency has publicly denied the allegations. But Herzog told Ben-Gvir this week that he had received “questions from Israeli citizens and world leaders … very sensitive questions about human rights.” “There’s a certain image of you and your party that seems, and I’ll be honest, troubling in many ways,” he added.
