A diverse group of opponents was brought together primarily by a desire to replace Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption, and to end a destabilizing cycle of inconclusive Israeli elections.
Joe BidenAfter 12 consecutive years in power, and 15 years in total, Netanyahu is on the brink of being ousted by a governing coalition of right-wing, centrist and left-wing parties, including for the first time an Arab party. The diverse group of opponents was brought together primarily by a desire to replace Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption, and to end a destabilizing cycle of repeat Israeli elections after four inconclusive ones in just two years.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Thursday during the visit of Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz,"Regardless of what happens, regardless of what government is in place, our stalwart support, our ironclad support for Israel will remain." Bennett, a former tech entrepreneur, rejects the establishment of a Palestinian state and supports Israeli annexation of the West Bank. He's positioned himself to the right of Netanyahu and served as the head of the council representing West Bank settlers before entering national politics.
That likely means there will be"no major leaps on Palestinian issues, but not lurches to right either," according to David Makovsky, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Some of the leaders in the new coalition have also been less vocal about their opposition to Biden's diplomatic efforts to return to the Iran nuclear deal, including Gantz, the Blue and White party leader and Netanyahu’s defense minister -- a position he will retain in the new government. That softer tone could give Biden needed political cover back in the U.S. if it lifts sanctions on Iran, but only if his administration continues to meet Israel's security needs, too.
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