Jakarta –
A new government considered the far right in Israel’s history has been agreed, which will ensure Benjamin Netanyahu’s return to power.
Netanyahu, who won election in November, is poised for a sixth term as prime minister.
His coalition is made up of right-wing parties, including those whose leaders have been convicted of anti-Arab racism.
Across the political spectrum, the term “right” is usually used to describe political views that tend to be more conservative and nationalistic.
Palestinians fear the new government will also strengthen Israel’s grip on the occupied West Bank.
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“I did it [membentuk pemerintahan],” Netanyahu said in a tweet, minutes before midnight local time (0500 GMT), the deadline set by Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
The new government will replace the current government which is centre-left (“left” usually describes a political view which tends to be more egalitarian, advocating social equality).
It is estimated that the change will take place in the next week.
Netanyahu’s coalition partners reject the idea of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict – a peace formula that envisages an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank next to Israel, with Jerusalem as their shared capital.
Indeed, this formula has received international support.
The leader of the Religious Zionism party, which collaborates with two other far-right parties, won the third-most seats in the Knesset (parliament), wants Israel to annex the West Bank and has been given sweeping powers over his activities there.
Israel occupied the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 war.
More than 600,000 Jewish settlers now live in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
The settlements they live in are considered illegal under international law, but Israel disputes this. Israel expelled settlers and troops from the Gaza Strip in 2005.
“I will hold the wheel firmly with both hands,” Netanyahu said. (Reuters)
Israeli opposition politicians, as well as their attorney general, have warned that reforms planned by the incoming government – including the right of lawmakers to overturn Supreme Court decisions – could undermine Israel’s democracy.
Coalition partners have also proposed legal reforms that could end Netanyahu’s ongoing trial on charges of corruption, fraud and breach of trust.
Netanyahu has denied all allegations.
Israeli opposition and civil rights groups have expressed particular concern over the entry of the right into the new government.
Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party leader Itamar Ben-Gvir is known for his anti-Arab comments and once called for a relaxation of rules on when security forces can open fire in the face of a threat.
Once convicted of inciting racism and supporting terrorist organizations, he will become minister of national security with authority over policing in Israel and the West Bank.
Another right-wing partner in government, Avi Maoz of the anti-LGBT Noam party.
The party has called for a ban on Gay Parade events in Jerusalem. They also don’t think that women should have the same opportunities as men in the military.
Furthermore, Avi Maoz wanted to limit immigration to Israel to Jews only according to his strict interpretation of Jewish law.
Instead, Netanyahu accused critics of spreading fear and vowed to maintain the status quo.
“I’m going to grip the wheel firmly with both hands,” he told US broadcaster NPR last week.
“I’m not going to let anyone do anything to LGBT people or deny the rights of our Arab citizens or anything like that, it’s not going to happen. And time will tell.”
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