Netanyahu out, Bennett to step in as new Israeli Prime Minister

Naftali Bennett new Israeli Prime Minister

Naftali Bennett set to succeed Netanyahu as Israeli Prime Minister today

Naftali Bennett  set to succeed Netanyahu as Israeli Prime Minister today
Naftali Bennett set to succeed Netanyahu as Israeli Prime Minister today

Agency Reports

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s 12-year hold on power will end on Sunday when the Knesset votes on a new government, to be headed by Naftali Bennett.

The vote will usher in an administration that has pledged to heal a nation bitterly divided over the departure of the country’s longest serving leader.

Netanyahu, 71, the most dominant Israeli politician of his generation, had failed to form a government after Israel’s March 23 election, its fourth in two years.

The new cabinet, which will be sworn in after a Knesset confidence vote it is expected to win, was cobbled together by the centrist opposition leader Yair Lapid and ultra-nationalist Bennett.

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Bennett, a hawkish hi-tech millionaire, will serve as premier for two years before Lapid, a former popular TV host, takes over.

They will head a government that comprises parties from across the political spectrum, including for the first time one that represents the 21% Arab minority.

They plan largely to avoid sweeping moves on hot-button international issues such as policy toward the Palestinians while they focus on domestic reforms.

With little to no prospect of progress toward resolving the decades-long conflict with Israel, many Palestinians will be unmoved by the change of administration, saying Bennett will likely pursue the same right-wing agenda as Netanyahu.

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