Israeli parliament decides on new government — RT World News

The Israeli parliament has voted in favor of a new government led by five-time Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Returning to power with backing from hardline Zionists, Netanyahu vowed to continue Israel’s controversial settlement policy.

Netanyahu’s government was confirmed by 63 votes to 54 on Thursday, nearly two months after his Likud party and a coalition of Orthodox and right-wing parties won a majority in the country’s fifth elections in four years.

The venerable prime minister has already led Israel for five terms – from 1996 to 1999 and then from 2009 to 2021 – and is the Jewish state’s longest-serving prime minister.

His return to power involved striking a series of controversial deals with the parties of Religious Zionism and United Torah Judaism, both of which claim the deals allow them to rewrite the country’s law of return to curtail immigration. and allow Orthodox Jewish business owners to deny service based on religious belief – for example, by allowing doctors to deny treatment to LGBT patients.

With the latter provision causing an outcry among liberal Israelis, Netanyahu said on Sunday that “there will be no situation where a person, whether LGBT, Arab or ultra-Orthodox or any other person” is denied service.

Netanyahu released his own government’s guiding principles on Wednesday — which, while non-binding, are the first formal statement of his intentions in office.

These principles include a declaration of the Jewish people « exclusive and inalienable right to all parts of the Land of Israel », including the disputed Golan Heights, according to a translated version published by The Times of Israel. While the United Nations and a majority of states consider Israel’s construction of Jewish settlements in the region illegal, Netanyahu’s guidelines promise « a wave of implementation, development and promotion of initiatives » in the Golan Heights.

On the topic of security, Netanyahu’s guidelines promise to « to reinforce » Israeli security forces, to strengthen the maintenance of order in Arab communities and to « Continue the fight against Iran’s nuclear program. »

In a possible rebuke to the claims of the Orthodox parties, the text also specifies that “The government will act to increase Jewish immigration from every country in the world.

Netanyahu is currently charged with corruption and could face trial while in office. His coalition partners could hold the key to his political survival here and could introduce legislation to either make Supreme Court rulings non-binding with a majority vote, postpone prosecution of a sitting prime minister until leaves office, or legalize the offenses – fraud and breach of trust – allegedly committed by Netanyahu.

Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Netanyahu, telling the Israeli leader he hopes his new government “will pursue the policy of developing constructive Russian-Israeli cooperation,” in the interest of « Peace and Security in the Middle East Region. »

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