LAST UPDATE | 30 May 2021

ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu’s opponents today appeared to be moving closer toward a coalition deal that could end the 12-year rule of the longtime Israeli leader.

Naftali Bennett, leader of the small Yamina party and a kingmaker following the 23 March elections, scheduled an 8 pm news conference where he was expected to announce his decision to join a diverse collection of opponents seeking to topple Netanyahu.

Israeli media said that party members earlier on Sunday endorsed the decision. If he follows through, Bennett, a former Netanyahu aide turned rival, would play a key role in ending the prime minister’s record-setting term.

Israeli media have said that Bennett and the opposition leader, Yair Lapid, will agree on a power-sharing deal in which they rotate the job of prime minister over the next four years.

“The party unanimously supports Bennett and his efforts to establish a government and to prevent a fifth election,” the party said in a statement without elaborating.

Israel has gone through four consecutive elections over the past two years. Each election was seen as a referendum on Netanyahu, who has become a polarising figure in Israeli politics due to his ongoing corruption trial, with each ending in deadlock.

Netanyahu is desperate to stay in power while he is on trial. He has used his office as a stage to rally support and lash out against police, prosecutors and the media.

If his opponents fail to form a government and new elections are triggered, it would give him another chance at seeing the election of a parliament that is in favour of granting him immunity from prosecution.

But if they succeed, he would find himself in the much weaker position of opposition leader and potentially find himself facing unrest in his Likud party.

In a statement on Sunday, Netanyahu issued a desperate appeal for Bennett to avoid the temptation of joining his opponents.

He accused Bennett of deceiving his voters and abandoning his nationalistic principles “all in order to be prime minister at any price”.

Solidarity protests

It comes as there were solidarity protests held for Israel in Dublin outside the Israeli embassy today.

Israel’s ambassador to Ireland has welcomed the solidarity demonstrations in Dublin as heartwarming.

It comes after the Dáil passed a motion describing Israeli settlements and other policies in the West Bank as “de facto annexation”.

Prayers were said for Israel during a gathering by the Evangelical Catholic Initiative before a solidarity rally organised by the Irish Israeli Alliance took place.

Former government minister Alan Shatter was among those who attended the second event.

Ambassador Ophir Kariv welcomed the expressions of support for his nation.

“It was heart-warming to see the show of support. It was really encouraging to see Irish people from all parts of Ireland getting together to show their support to Israel. It was important,” he told the PA news agency.

Mr Kariv said they continue to talk to the Irish Government on policy issues.

“In the Irish public there are different opinions and different views, and what we saw today was the reflection of some of them,” he said.

“We don’t accept the latest remarks in parliament, and we don’t think it is very constructive, but we have open communications and good working relations with the Irish Foreign Ministry. We exchange our views in the relevant and acceptable diplomatic channels.”

Asked about the current situation in Israel, the ambassador said: “Things are calming down, there is a ceasefire in Gaza and everything has been quiet in the last days.

“We hope we the ceasefire will be a long-lasting one, and we are talking to our partners in the international community about how to try and help rebuild healthcare and reconstruction efforts, and alleviating the humanitarian situation in Gaza, but at the same time preventing any aid or resources getting into the hands of Hamas because Hamas has been using a large part of resources in order to build the terrorist infrastructure.”