After official Knesset approval, Israel finally ended a 508-day political battle and the Netanyahu-Gantz unity government was sworn in. This is Netanyahu’s fifth term as Prime Minister, but his leadership will last only 18 months before Benny Gantz will take his turn as Prime Minister.
Though Israel is a democracy, their government is formed much differently than our American government. Israelis vote for parties, rather than candidates, and the winning party must be able to form a coalition of other parties to form a majority. Despite three elections, neither Netanyahu’s Likud party nor Gantz’s Blue and White party could garner enough mandates to cobble together a majority.
Thus, the two eventually agreed to a unity government, in which the party leaders will alternate as Prime Minister. It will be challenging, but at least Israel is back in business in terms of legislation and official actions.
First on the agenda will be to lead Israel out of the COVID-19 crisis and put Israel’s economy back on track. Soon, expect Netanyahu to claim sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, as part of the Trump peace plan, and solidifying plans to combat the presence of Iran and their proxies on Israel’s northern border.
It is a happy day in Israel and things are looking up! However, the new government must hit the ground running because there is much to be done. Pray for Netanyahu, Gantz and the new government as they step up to the needs.
