Benjamin Netanyahu was sworn in once again as Israel’s prime minister on Friday. However, thousands are reported to be protesting outside Knesset against the said incoming ‘hardline’ coalition which also appointed Amir Ohana to become the first LGBTQ Knesset speaker.
Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu was still one partner short of a coalition to secure a parliamentary majority on Wednesday, Dec. 7 after an ultra-Orthodox Jewish party United Torah Judaism (UTJ) signed up, with the deadline for forming a government looming, Reuters reported. Netanyahu had control of 53 of the Knesset’s 120 seats with his conservative Likud party.
The inclusion of far-rightists in the incoming government has stirred fear at home and abroad for the future of Israel’s long-moribund talks with the Palestinians and fraught ties between its majority of Jews and 21 percent of Arab citizens Netanyahu has said he will serve all Israelis but has not indicated any plan for reviving talks with the Palestinians, it is reported.
And according to The New York Times, many fear Netanyahu’s partners will undermine Israel’s liberal democracy and stability. The coalition he leads pledged to hobble Israel’s High Court, consider West Bank annexation, and further centralize Orthodox control over state Jewish services.
