Israel: Bennett’s Minority Government Struck in Vote for Jewish Settlers

The opposition in Israel dealt a blow to the ruling coalition under Prime Minister Naftali Bennett late Monday, gathering a majority of votes against a bill that provides for the extension of Israeli laws in the Jewish settlements in the Occupied Territories.

This law, which has been in force since 1967 when Israel occupied the West Bank and stipulates that Jewish settlers have the same rights as those living in Israel, is automatically approved by the Knesset every five years.

But last night, two members of the ruling coalition – an MP from the Raham Arab party and a left-wing Meretz MP – voted against the bill in the first reading, calling into question the Bennett government.

The opposition, which had said it would vote against the bill simply to show it disobeyed the government, received 58 votes, compared to 52 in the ruling Knesset, which recently lost a majority in the Knesset.

If the “Samaria Law” (Israel’s name for the occupied West Bank) is not passed on July 1, most of the 475,000 Israelis living in Jewish settlements there will not have the same rights as other Israelis. citizens, including the right to vote.

According to Israeli analysts, the right-wing opposition, led by former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, does not intend to block the passage of the bill, but rather to weaken the Bennett government, which says it favors the expansion of Jewish settlements. can pass the law.

“Bennett, go home. It’s time for Israel to turn right again,” Likud, Netanyahu’s party, responded to a short message on social media after the vote.

For his part, Israeli Foreign Minister Gair Lapid, co-chair of the ruling coalition, acknowledged the “defeat” of the government, although he added that “he will come back stronger” to “win the next batch”.