Naftali Bennett’s Yamina party expects to ally with opposition parties in a vote to form a key parliamentary group, despite openly expressing support for a right-wing government led by Likud’s Benjamin Netanyahu, according to reports in the Jewish press on Sunday.
The vote to set up the Arrangements Committee – expected to be led by former Likud coalition whip and Netanyahu’s key ally Miki Zohar – was set to take place on Monday.
The Arrangements Committee, the first Knesset committee to be formed after the election, determines which parliamentary committees will be formed and who will take part in them. Crucially, it also controls the legislative agenda in the new parliament until the formation of a new government.
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Aligning with the anti-Netanyahu bloc on the panel structure, Yamina would seek to hold the equality vote, thus consolidating her power.
“We don’t care about the blocks,” a Yamina official told the Walla news site. “We want the maximum amount of power, and this gives us the maximum amount of power.”
The maneuver comes as Netanyahu’s Yamina and Likud negotiating teams met intensely in recent days in an attempt to reach an agreement on forming a right-wing government.
Yamina Party leader Naftali Bennett arrives at a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem on April 13, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel / Flash90)
Even with Yamina’s support, the coalition’s efforts remain extremely complicated for Netanyahu, as such a government would also need the support of the Islamist Ra’am party, a prospect rejected by Netanyahu’s allies in the far-right religious Zionism party.
The president of the party of religious Zionism, Bezalel Smotrich, reiterated on Sunday his unwavering objection to such a scenario, saying that the creation of a center-left government or new elections, which would be the fifth in two and a half years , are preferable options.
Ra’am’s letter calls for racist Zionism and upholds the right of return for Palestinian refugees and their descendants.
Asked on Twitter by pro-Netanyahu expert Shimon Riklin what the alternative is to a government led by incumbent Prime Minister and backed by Ra’am, Smotrich wrote on Twitter: “The alternative is a completely right-wing government!”
He was referring to a hypothetical government that includes only right-wing parties. However, the New Hope of Gideon Sa’ar and Yisrael Beytenu, by Avigdor Liberman, although on the right, are not willing to sit in a coalition led by Netanyahu. Liberman has not moved for two years, nor does Sa’ar – who formed his party after breaking up with Likud before last month’s election – show any sign of compromise on the position.
President Ra’am Mansour Abbas (L) and President of Religious Zionism Bezalel Smotrich (R). (Sraya Diamant / David Cohen / Flash90)
But Smotrich lamented that Netanyahu’s supporters were pressuring him and “running into the hands of terrorists,” rather than investing in Saar’s pressure.
According to Channel 12, Smotrich would even prefer a coalition led by Yesh Atid and Yamina and supported by either the majority-Arab mixed list or the Ra’am party, instead of a right-wing government that includes religious Zionism and is supported by Ra ‘ I have
Channel 12 news reported on Friday that Bennett had agreed to rotate the prime minister with Netanyahu in a government backed by Ra’am, but only if Smotrich had been on board. The network said, however, that Likud sources reject Yamina’s claim that Netanyahu made such an offer to Bennett. He also reported that Netanyahu believes that Bennett is only moving with his motions and has already decided to join forces with opposition leader Yair Lapid.
Lapid offered Bennett to be prime minister in a rotation agreement between them. However, it is unclear whether a government of the anti-Netanyahu bloc could be formed, as it would require the support of right-wing, centrist and left-wing parties, as well as the votes of Arab parliamentarians, who opposed Bennett as prime minister.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, speaks with Yamina party leader Naftali Bennett on March 4, 2020. (Yonatan Sindel / Flash90)
If Netanyahu fails to form a government within 28 days (with a possible 14-day extension), President Reuven Rivlin may either entrust the trial to a second person (for another 28 days and a possible additional 14 ) or send the mandate back to the Knesset, giving the legislature 21 days to agree on a candidate backed by 61 MPs.
If the president appoints a second person and the person fails to form a coalition, the mandate automatically returns to the Knesset for a period of 21 days. During this time, any MK is eligible to try to form a government.
Rivlin suggested that he might not give the mandate to a second candidate if Netanyahu fails, but send him back to the Knesset immediately.
At the end of the 21-day period, if no candidate has been approved by 61 deputies, the new Knesset is automatically abolished and the country is heading for other elections.
If Netanyahu fails to form a government by the end of his term, the so-called opposition party bloc will try to persuade Rivlin to give Bennett the mandate, Channel 13 reported on Friday.
Sources in the bloc, who vowed not to join forces with Netanyahu, told the network that they feared that if Rivlin did not give the opposition a chance and send the mandate back to the Knesset, it would become impossible to reach a consensus. .
