Looking inside Israel's new government
CGTN
On Sunday, a new government was voted into office in Israel. Its arrival marked the end of 12 years during which Benjamin Netanyahu was prime minister. Netanyahu's departure has generated both celebrations and anger in the Israeli society. It has also prompted discussion regarding the future and the extent by which the new government will constitute a force for change – or not.
Certainly, the new government is different in that is encompasses a wide range of Israeli political opinion, with eight of the 13 political parties in the Knesset (the Israeli Parliament) represented. Moreover, they cover the ideological spectrum from the nationalist right to the political center. It includes representatives of the settler movement alongside Labor politicians and – for the first time – a Palestinian Arab party known as Ra'am.
What holds the new government's constituent parts together is its common opposition to the former prime minister. Among its members are not only many of Netanyahu's political opponents in the center and center-left, but also several individuals who had previously worked closely with Netanyahu before in his governments. They include not only the new prime minister, Naftali Bennett, who was once Netanyahu's chief of staff, but also Avigdor Liberman and Gideon Sa'ar, who were ministers in Netanyahu's earlier administrations.
