After a break in the opposition, Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power on Thursday by forming the most right-wing government in the history of Israel, which is already causing serious concern.
Winner of the legislative elections of November 1, Mr. Netanyahu presented his ministerial team to the deputies in the morning, before the holding in the afternoon of a vote of confidence won by a majority of 63 elected officials out of the 120 in Parliament and his performance of oath.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s return was hailed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, while US President Joe Biden called the newly sworn in Prime Minister a “friend for decades”.
For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has criticized the neutrality observed by Israel since the invasion of his country by Russia, wished Benjamin Netanyahu “success on the road to prosperity and security”.
“We have four main missions: to thwart Iran’s efforts to acquire a nuclear arsenal, to restore security and sovereignty inside Israel, to fight against the high cost of living and housing, and to expand the circle of peace”, by normalizing relations with other Arab countries, declared in the evening Mr. Netanyahu during his first Council of Ministers.
“We are a united government, sharing the same goals and the same vision so now: forward and to work! “, he added during this meeting, all smiles alongside his political allies.
Indicted for corruption in several cases, the leader of Likud (right) was ousted from power in June 2021 by a motley coalition before promising a return to business by allying with ultra-Orthodox and far-right parties.
His coalition notably includes Bezalel Smotrich’s “Religious Zionism” and Itamar Ben Gvir’s “Jewish Force”, known for their anti-Palestinian remarks and their positions favorable to the annexation of part of the West Bank, and “Noam by Avi Maoz, openly anti-LGBTQ.
Despite the presence of this party in the government, MPs elected Amir Ohana as Speaker of Parliament, a first for an openly gay MP in this country.
Hundreds of people, including several wearing the rainbow flag or showing sympathy for the Palestinians, demonstrated Thursday outside Parliament against the new government.
“This is the darkest, most racist, worst government we could imagine,” said Niv, a protester at the scene.
” Lust for power “
In this new government, MM. Smotrich and Ben Gvir are respectively in charge of the settlements in the West Bank and of the Israeli police, whose units also operate in this Palestinian territory occupied since 1967 by Israel.
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara recently said she fears reforms that reduce the power of judges and a “politicization of law enforcement” that “would deal a serious blow to the most fundamental principles of the rule of law “.
Army Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi said he was concerned about the creation of a second ministerial post, that of Mr Smotrich, within Defense itself to oversee the civilian management of the West Bank.
Israel’s ambassador to France, Yael German, a close friend of outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid, resigned on Thursday, saying the government’s program was contrary “to my conscience, to my vision of the world and to the principles of Declaration of Independence of the State of Israel »
For many analysts, Mr. Netanyahu has multiplied the concessions to his partners in the hope of obtaining judicial immunity or the cancellation of his trial for corruption.
“This government is the addition of Netanyahu’s political weakness, given his age and his trial, and the fact that we have a new political family, linked to the revolutionary right, which we had never seen with this strength in Israel”, explains to Agence France-Presse (AFP) Denis Charbit, professor of political science at the Open University of Israel.
” Blast ” ?
In the wake of the last Hamas / Israel war in Gaza in May 2021 and recent violence in the West Bank, the most serious since the end of the Second Intifada (2000 to 2005), the fear of a military escalation with the Palestinians is well present.
“There are many red lines: Al-Aqsa, annexation [de la Cisjordanie]the status of Palestinian prisoners [en Israël] … If Ben Gvir, as minister, goes to Al-Aqsa, it will be a big red line crossed and it will lead to an explosion,” Basem Naim, a senior Hamas politician, told AFP.
Mr. Ben Gvir has already visited the Esplanade des Mosques (Temple Mount for Jews) in recent months, a holy place at the heart of Israeli-Palestinian tensions in East Jerusalem.
Under a historic status quo, non-Muslims can visit but not pray there, but a visit by an Israeli minister in office to the site would be seen as provocation among Palestinians.
“If the government acts irresponsibly, it could cause a security crisis,” said outgoing Defense Minister Benny Gantz.
“This new far-right government does not scare us,” Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh said Thursday at a rally of thousands in Ramallah to mark the anniversary of the ruling secular Fatah party. in the West Bank. And to add: “we will remain standing until the victory and the establishment of a Palestinian State”.