Rivals Edge Closer to Ending Netanyahu’s 12 Year Grip on Power
Published Date: 5/31/2021
Source: Bloomberg Quicktake: Now
Benjamin Netanyahu’s opponents edged closer Monday to forming a government that would oust the longest-serving prime minister in Israel’s history after winning over an erstwhile ally. Naftali Bennett, a pro-settlement security hawk who’s previously served under Netanyahu in various cabinet positions, said he’d work to clinch a “government of change” with former Finance Minister Yair Lapid after four inconclusive elections in two years showed the premier was no long capable of forming a right-wing government. “I will work to the utmost to form a national unity government together with my friend Yair Lapid,” Bennett said. If they manage to cobble together a coalition, Lapid and Bennett could end the grip of a political survivor who’s been in power for 15 of the past 25 years and left a lasting mark on Israel and the broader region. Under Netanyahu, Israeli politics shifted to the right, the Palestinian-Israeli peace process was sidelined while settlements were expanded in the West Bank. Netanyahu also reached normalization deals with four Arab countries, including the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, only last year. Even that wasn’t enough to hand Netanyahu a clear majority in the latest election, a win he desperately needed to hold onto power and shield himself from multiple charges of corruption and influence-peddling. Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2TwO8Gm Bloomberg Quicktake brings you live global news and original shows spanning business, technology, politics and culture. Make sense of the stories changing your business and your world. To watch complete coverage on Bloomberg Quicktake 24/7, visit http://www.bloomberg.com/qt/live, or watch on Apple TV, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Fire TV and Android TV on the Bloomberg app. Have a story to tell? Fill out this survey for a chance to have it featured on Bloomberg Quicktake: https://cor.us/surveys/27AF30 Connect with us on… YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Bloomberg Breaking News on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BloombergQuickTakeNews Twitter: https://twitter.com/quicktake Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quicktake Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quicktake