Israel is entering a critical juncture on Monday, where the end of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political career appears imminent, as his opponents accuse him of pursuing a "scorched earth" policy with the upcoming vote on the government formed by opposition leader Yair Lapid. The Israeli Knesset Speaker, Yariv Levin, announced two days ago his intention to officially inform lawmakers on Monday about the opposition's formation of a coalition to remove the long-serving Netanyahu, who has been in power for 12 uninterrupted years.
These political developments in Israel come at a time when the nation is experiencing tensions with Palestinians and following a bloody military escalation with the Islamic Hamas movement in Gaza last month. A far-right march for Jerusalem Day scheduled for Thursday was canceled on Monday.
Right-wing nationalist MP Naftali Bennett, expected to head the premiership for two years according to the coalition agreement, urged the Knesset Speaker to set a voting date for Wednesday. Bennett called on the Prime Minister to "step aside." Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, Bennett addressed Netanyahu, saying, "Do not leave scorched earth behind you... We want to remember the good, the many good things you did during your service, not the negative atmosphere."
An unprecedented coalition of eight parties—two from the left, two from the center, three from the right, and one Arab party—has conflicting positions on all issues except for the desire to remove Netanyahu from power. According to the agreement, Bennett of the right-wing "Yamina" party will serve as Prime Minister for two years, after which the coalition's engineer, Yair Lapid, will take over in 2023.
With the possibility of imprisonment looming due to his corruption trial, Netanyahu is not expected to voluntarily surrender. His supporters are intensifying efforts to create splits among the lawmakers from Bennett's Yamina party, who are hesitant about their alliance with the left and Arab lawmakers.
On the ground, there is growing concern about angry demonstrations supporting Netanyahu, including protests outside the homes of some Yamina lawmakers, who are accused by protesters of "treason." As a result, security measures have been tightened around some lawmakers, and the head of Israel's internal security service (Shin Bet), Nadav Argaman, issued an unusual statement over the weekend warning of a "serious escalation in violent and incitement rhetoric" online.
A Shin Bet spokesperson told AFP that the aim of the statement was to calm the "overall atmosphere," but anti-Netanyahu politicians interpreted it as a warning to the Prime Minister. The statement prompted the Knesset's Security Committee to hold an emergency meeting on Monday.
Netanyahu condemned what he deemed "incitement to violence" on Sunday, stating, "There is a very thin line between political criticism and incitement to violence." The Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, in its editorial on Sunday, noted that "attempts to challenge the formation of a new government and prevent it have crossed all red lines."
The internal political dispute in Israel coincides with protests in various neighborhoods of East Jerusalem for nearly two months over threats to evict Palestinian families from their homes for the benefit of settlement organizations.
On Sunday, Hamas deputy chief in Gaza, Khalil Hayya, warned Israel of renewed military confrontation if the settlers' march for Jerusalem Day scheduled for Thursday approached "East Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque." This came before the march organizers announced its cancellation. Hayya stated at a press conference, "We warn the occupation against the settlers' march approaching Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa (...). We tell the mediators that the time has come to curb this occupation; otherwise, the storm is still looming." According to a spokesperson for "Im Tirtzu," one of the organizing bodies of the march, the flag march that was supposed to reach the Arab neighborhoods in the Old City was canceled after disagreements with the police regarding its route.
