Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid announced to outgoing Israeli President Reuven Rivlin that he has succeeded in forming a government at 11:22 p.m. on Wednesday night, shortly before his mandate expired at midnight.
The government must be sworn in by at least 61 Knesset members in the next 12 days.
Yamina chairman Naftali Bennett will be prime minister for the first two years while Lapid serves as alternate prime minister and foreign minister, and the two will then switch positions. The government will be comprised of the Yesh Atid, Kachol Lavan, Yamina, Labor, Yisrael Beiteinu, New Hope, Meretz and Ra’am parties.
There are still challenges ahead for the newly formed coalition, including the possibility that Yamina MK Nir Orbach may vote against the government. Orbach, whose rabbi is Rav Chaim Druckman, is being pressured to oppose the unity government, a move that could thwart its formation as it now has only a razor-thin majority of 61.
Naftali Bennett is pressuring the pair to resign from the Knesset rather than voting against the coalition as the government needs 61 votes in order to be ratified by the Knesset and is dependent on every vote from coalition members. If Orbach and Silman leave the party or vote against the government, the mandate would be passed to the Knesset. If the Knesset fails to form a government, fifth elections will be called.
Lapid and Bennet are engaging in talks with the United Arab List to have members of their party vote in favor of the government should Orbach and Silman leave the party or vote against the government.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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6 Responses
Keep on davening! Don’t give up even as the noose is around the neck!
See how long this will last. I’ll give it six months max
This is not remotely the government that I had hoped for. Nevertheless, I would like to take a moment to set aside my many concerns and appreciate the fact that the State of Israel, for the first time in its history, will have a Prime Minister who is shomer torah umitzvot.
This Govt. will not last. They have too little in common for this bond to hold. Only common goal is ousting Netanyahu is not enough to hold this together. Especially when the whole combo of 8 parties (with opposite ideologies) only makes the bare minimum of 61 MK’s.
Bennet got what hi wanted,he did not care to go with hating religious people parties, left wings and pork eaters.
Thats not the Miflaga Datit Leumit. Nor Joserf Burg s.l nor Zerach Wahrhaftig s. l or Minister Shapira s.l
would ever done such a thing.But Bennet was always a benkel chaper and would also go with arabs and antisemits just to be premier Minister. And this should be a so called demoratic country, where religious people
are not wanted in the Gouverment.I rather prefer to stay in chuz laarez, where jewish are allowed to be elected
if they are religious or not. But in Israel the so called jewish state? this is not allowed.
“Nevertheless, I would like to take a moment to set aside my many concerns and appreciate the fact that the State of Israel, for the first time in its history, will have a Prime Minister who is shomer torah umitzvot.“
You should try stand up comedy