Strange bedfellows: The astonishing diversity in Israel's new coalition government

On 2 June, Israel's opposition leader Yair Lapid was able to form a coalition government only 30 minutes before the deadline ended, possibly ending the reign of the longest-serving Prime Minister in Israeli history, Benjamin Netanyahu. 

Ever since the incumbent leader of the Likud party was accused of bribery, breach of trust and abuse of power, Israel has not seen a stable government. As it is virtually impossible to win a simple majority in the parliament, the country has always been governed by coalition governments. 

Even though Likud has won a plurality in each election, they have not been able to create a majority coalition in the four elections over the last two years. As a result, Netanyahu has been the 'caretaker' Prime Minister since 2019. 

The election that took place earlier this year seemed to be heading towards the same fate. Netanyahu, after winning the most number of seats in the parliament, was given the chance to form a coalition, but he could not do it. Then the responsibility was given to Lapid and he was able to cobble together a very unlikely coalition. 

Even though Lapid has labelled his government a 'government of national unity', it is apparent that his coalition is extremely disorderly. It consists of parties from all over the political spectrum. But half of these parties stand out and we will primarily focus on them. 

Yesh Atid led by Lapid is a centrist party in Israeli politics. The former TV anchor is known to be a staunch secular politician who wants to reform Israel and make it a more inclusive society. Another member of the coalition, Meretz, is a left-leaning party that largely champions social issues like fighting racism, homophobia and integration of African immigrants into Israeli society.

Yesh Atid and Meretz both support a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine problem, even though Lapid does not want to cede East Jerusalem, the proposed capital of future Palestine. 

Perhaps the most controversial member of the coalition, Yamina, is a far-right party that wants Israel to be a Jewish state through and through. Led by Netanyahu's former prodigy Naftali Bennet, the party does not support the two-state solution. 

Bennet has been very vocal in the past about his support for illegal Israeli settlements. Bennet and Netanyahu fell out because the then Prime Minister decided to slow down the construction of illegal settlements in 2009 when the US was encouraging the PLO to sit for peace talks. Since then, Bennet has not only voiced his support for the settlements but has also suggested that Israel should annex all of the Palestinian lands as soon as possible. 

On the polar opposite side of that position, sits another member of the coalition, Ra'am. About 20.5% of the Israeli population is made up of Arabs and some parties want to cater to them. 

Traditionally, Arab nationalists and Arab communists have taken that role, but Ra'am is neither. It is an Islamist conservative party. Like almost all Arab groups, it supports a two-state solution and wants to cease the construction of illegal settlements on the West Bank. 

Even through this very brief introduction, it becomes apparent that this coalition is held in place by one thing: anti-Netanyahu sentiment. Ever since the accusations of abuse of power, the Prime Minister has not been able to find any political allies. 

Due to the fractured nature of Israeli politics, other parties have not been able to form coalitions either. As a result, the country has been in the hands of a 'caretaker government' with reduced authoritative power during a global pandemic. Therefore, ousting Netanyahu and building a stable government is the primary objective of this coalition. 

Naftali Bennet will be the Prime Minister of this coalition government for the first two years while Lapid will take up the responsibility of the Foreign Minister. After that, they will switch positions. But this arrangement is not as smooth as it seems. 

Bennet had previously said, "I won't let Lapid become prime minister, with or without a rotation, because I'm a man of the right and for me, values are important". Other problems are facing this alliance besides the mutual disdain of its leaders. 

Yamina, as part of the far-right of Israeli politics, was supposed to ally with Netanyahu's Likud party. But when Bennet agreed to join the coalition, right-wing Israelis gathered for a large demonstration. MPs of the party have been receiving widespread condemnation and even death threats from their base. 

Netanyahu does not need to dismantle the whole coalition, he just needs some stragglers to deny the coalition its majority in the parliament, which will give him another chance to build his coalition. But this seems highly improbable for now. 

It is safe to say that it will not be possible for this coalition to achieve much substantial change. Striking a balance between its many members and their disparate ideologies will be quite the challenge. For instance, Yamina and Meretz both opposed the solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict proposed by Donald Trump in 2020, but for completely different reasons. 

Yamina rejected it because it offered too much autonomy for the Palestinians while Meretz rejected it because it offered too little and resembled an 'apartheid map'. This demonstrates the polar opposite viewpoints the members have on the Palestine question and it will certainly create friction in the alliance. 

Bennet is likely to use his position as Prime Minister to rail up support against Palestine, fuelled by the recent clashes and the fragile ceasefire. It is almost certain that the illegal settlements will not stop and more Palestinians will lose their homes to settlers. But the rate of constructing settlements will not increase significantly thanks to Lapid's moderating presence. 

But the most significant change will come to the US-Israel relationship. Netanyahu primarily courted Republicans during his last tenure and Trump allowed him to pursue any means in the Middle East. But due to Lapid's centrist politics, Israel will attempt to maintain cordial relations with both sides of the political aisle, especially since the Democrats have taken power. 

It is also a crucial time for Israel to rejuvenate its bond with the USA. Everyone will agree that the major threat to Israeli security in the Middle East is not Palestine but Iran. The Biden administration has repeatedly shown interest to re-enter the Iran Nuclear Deal. 

Even though its express objective is to not allow Iran to possess nuclear missiles, Israel has not felt secure with the deal and said that Iran cannot be trusted. Bennet, as one of the chief proponents of hawkish military ambition, will try to derail and delay the joining of the USA, as long as possible. This will mean more instability in the region, upon which Israel thrives. 

But the biggest beneficiary of this coalition will be the Arab population of Israel. Arab nationalists and communists have never joined a coalition government before. But the participation of Ra'am will be critical for this community. 

It will probably receive more funding, opportunities for education and employment and a better standard of living. This will also spread the influence of the Arabs, creating a more vocal and noticeable proponent for the Palestinian cause within Israel. 

Even though Israeli politics has always been dependent on coalition building, if Lapid can complete his term, he will gain more support from the secular Israeli middle class, making his party a potential giant in Israeli politics. Perhaps then, we can expect to have a more moderate leader who will be willing to make the necessary compensations to formulate a two-state solution to the conflict.