Netanyahu's Reign in Israel Remains Strong, Even Without Prime Minister Role
Anshel Pepper penned down that Naftali Bennett announced his intention to team up with Yair Lapid, the centrist opposition leader of Yesh Atid, to form a national unity government. Anti-Netanyahu parties, boasting a majority in the Knesset, are now cooperating, which seems like the end of Netanyahu's lengthy tenure in power – a dozen years since his return in 2009 and a total of fifteen years. Yet, it is premature to declare the end of the Netanyahu era in Israel.
Firstly, Netanyahu may have lost his majority, but he appears confident that he can still wield influence over wavering opposition members, including his son, Yair, and media manager Topaz Luk, to escalate their social media campaign against Bennett and his Yamina party, sparking protests outside their residences, accusing them of being “leftist traitors.”
Even if they manage to hold the coalition together, Netanyahu's effort comes to naught. He remains Chairman of the Likud, the largest Israeli party, and it is unlikely that he is willing to relinquish his role. Despite allegations of corruption, fraud, and breach of trust – all of which he vehemently denies – his trial is expected to drag on for years. According to Israeli law, he can continue serving as prime minister during the trial process. No Likudnik faction is likely to challenge his authority and risk bringing him down.
Netanyahu, sheltered by a legion of fiercely loyal supporters, certainly keeps planning his next comeback, awaiting his opponent's missteps and thriving on the inefficiency of the new, highly disparate coalition. A new election – the fifth in two years – may loom on the horizon, and even at 71, Netanyahu remains an unyielding campaigner.
Those awaiting a significant dent in Netanyahu's reputation and diminished capacity to control the Israeli agenda may be in for a bitter disappointment. For many Israelis, Netanyahu will reign as an exiled king for years to come, even if he never regains the premiership's seat. Despite his conviction, his influence on Israel will continue for decades.
Firstly, the new government will be mainly composed of politicians steeped in Netanyahu's politics. Bennett began his public career as Netanyahu's aide, learning the art of politics from him. Similarly, prominent figures of the new government – Avigdor Lieberman, Ayelet Shaked, Gideon Sa'ar, Zev Elgin, and others – owe their careers to Netanyahu, who may never entirely escape his shadow.
Secondly, Netanyahu's influence transcended the political class of Israel. To maintain and exert power, he harnessed every schism between Jews and Arabs, religious and secular, Ashkenazim and Mizrahim, using divisive language, exploiting historic resentments, and fomenting discord among communities. Recovering from these wounds will take years, if not decades.
Lastly, Netanyahu rolled back the progress of his predecessor in solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, refusing to make any concessions to the Palestinians and stressing that the time was favorable for Israel. His approach functioned under then-US President Trump's administration, as the “four Arab states” were ready to overlook the Palestinians' struggle and establish peace with Israel. However, tensions have once again arisen due to recent clashes in Gaza and social unrest in Israel.
The new government, unified only by their desire to replace Netanyahu, is unlikely to adopt a reconciliatory stance towards the conflict or make fundamental changes to Israel's regional policy. They will continue their confrontations with Iran's nuclear program and its proxies, even if their protests may not be as vociferous as Netanyahu's if the Biden Administration re-enters the Iran nuclear deal.
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Israel continues to wage war with itself and remains far from peace with its Palestinian neighbors, even if Netanyahu is no longer Israel's prime minister.
Note: The column was last updated and now includes the news that Bennett was sworn in as Israel's new prime minister on June 13th.
