Palestinians wary of Bennet-Lapid coalition cabinet
Mona Kandil
Press TV, Ramallah
After more than a decade, Israel has turned the page of Benjamin Netanyahu rule, ushering in a new era with a new coalition cabinet led by Naftali Bennet, the head of the right-wing Yamina Party and Yair Lapid, the leader Yesh Atid party.
However, the Palestinian leadership remains skeptical, saying it expects no changes in Israeli policy towards Palestinians. It says the only difference that could be seen is that former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will no longer be there. Palestinian officials say they expect the Bennet-Lapid cabinet to be worse than the one its replacing.
Bennett, a former chairman of the Yesha settlers’ council, has long vowed to prevent the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and he supports the annexation of major parts of the occupied West Bank as well as expanding settlement construction. Experts say Bennett does not believe in a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and will continue to act this way even if he’s not an opposition leader anymore or at least supposed to be.
Israel’s new cabinet held a festive first meeting Sunday night following a historic Knesset vote with 60 members voting in favor, 59 against and one abstaining. Bennett urged his ministers to show restraint over the numerous ideological differences between parties in alliance to ensure its stability. Bennett will serve as prime minister first as part of a rotation agreement with Lapid. He will serve alternately as prime minister and foreign minister until the handover of power to Lapid on 27th of August, 2023.
Experts warn that in an attempt to prolong the life of the new fragile eight-party coalition, Naftali Bennett, the new Israeli PM, will exert every possible effort to appease the most extreme elements, especially through the continuation of settlement activities across the occupied territories.
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