Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —
Prime Minister Israel Benjamin Netanyahu sued the formation of a new governing coalition that would end his 12-year rule.
But Israel’s parliament and president rejected the lawsuit.
In a letter to legal advisers to the presidency and parliament, Netanyahu and his party, Likud, said his rival in March’s general election, Yair Lapid, was not authorized to form an agreement on the transfer of the prime minister’s post to form a new governing coalition.
Netanyahu considers Lapid not authorized to hand over the post of prime minister to hardline nationalist politician Naftali Bennett to persuade Yamina’s party to join his coalition.
However, reported AFPIsraeli President Reuven Rivlin’s office said Netanyahu’s claim had no legal basis because Lapid would be sworn in as an “alternative prime minister” as part of a leadership rotation.
Even so, Rivlin’s office agreed with Likud’s demands that Lapid give the president full details of the new government and not just announce that he had reached an agreement on forming a coalition.
Currently, Lapid and his Yesh Atid party are indeed trying to form a new government until the deadline of Wednesday (3/5).
Lapid is required to form a coalition of at least 61 members in the Knesset parliament.
The mandate was given by Rivlin after Netanyahu failed to form a new government after winning elections in March.
Lapid has now joined forces with the Blue and White Party led by Israel’s current defense minister, Benny Gantz, and the New Hope Party of Netanyahu’s former ally, Gideon Saar.
In addition, the Yisrael Beitenu Party, the Labor Party, and Meretz, will also join the Lapid coalition.
Lapid succeeded in persuading Bennett, and his party, Yamina, along with other Arab-Israeli politicians to form a coalition to counter Netanyahu.
In the negotiations, Lapid offered to share power and allowed Bennett to serve as PM for a period which would later be rotated.
On Sunday (30/5), Bennett, agreed that he would unite with Lapid in forming a cabinet coalition.
Lapid and Bennett are said to have started talks on Sunday night to formalize the deal.
Netanyahu denounced the Lapid and Bennett agreement, calling his political opponents’ plans a “danger to Israel’s security.”
Netanyahu has even tried to hold on to power by offering similar deals to a number of his former allies, including Bennett.
He warned that if his cabinet ended Israel would be led by a dangerous “left-wing” alliance.
(rds / dea)
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