Israel’s Yair Lapid congratulates Benjamin Netanyahu on election victory
Israel’s prime minister, Yair Lapid, has called Benjamin Netanyahu to offer his congratulations on the opposition leader’s election win following the conclusion of vote counting in this week’s election.
Netanyahu, chair of the conservative Likud party and Israel’s longest serving prime minister, is expected to begin an unprecedented third term as premier after holding coalition negotiations with his religious and far-right allies on forming a government.
The bloc, which includes the extremist Religious Zionists party and two Ultra-Orthodox parties, won a comfortable majority in Tuesday’s election, the country’s fifth in four years.
Netanyahu was removed from office last summer by a diverse coalition which formed a so-called “government of change”. Infighting led to its downfall a year later, sending a frustrated electorate back to the voting booths.
This time around, the rocketing popularity of the Religious Zionists’ deputy, Itamar Ben-Gvir, helped the party more than double their number of seats, With 14, they are now the third-largest party in parliament, and will likely receive important ministerial positions in the new government.
A former follower of the banned Kach terrorist group, with a conviction for inciting racism, Ben-Gvir supports altering Israel’s legal code, which could help Netanyahu evade a conviction in his corruption trial. He has also lobbied for the deportation of “disloyal” Palestinian citizens of Israel.
Arab-Israeli politician, Aida Touma-Suleiman, said on Wednesday that Netanyahu would be forming a government “with fascists by his side”.
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