Netanyahu’s policies face the chop as new parliament sworn in

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Gadi Eisenkot, the politician tasked with forming a new Israeli government, has wasted no time in putting his rival and Israel’s interim Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu under pressure.

Tel Aviv, Israel – Gadi Eisenkot, the politician tasked with forming a new Israeli government, pledged on Tuesday to reverse many of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies as the new parliament was sworn in.

The pledge sets the stage for a consequential month of legislative action and coalition negotiations. Eisenkot, a former military chief, has up to six weeks to form a government that would end the tenure of Israel’s longest-serving prime minister.

While it remains unclear whether Eisenkot will be able to forge a coalition government, the new Knesset can enact legislation in the meantime. Netanyahu’s opponents now control a solid majority in parliament.

Eisenkot’s bloc introduced a series of bills at the start of the legislative session that target Netanyahu and his policies.

They include launching an official government-led inquiry into the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks, setting term limits on the position of prime minister, and overturning changes the outgoing Netanyahu-led government made to limit the powers of the judiciary.

It was not immediately clear how quickly or far those bills would advance in the weeks ahead.

Eisenkot, a former general, who campaigned as a no-nonsense straight shooter, reiterated that his goal was a government that all Israelis could trust, not one that represents only certain factions.

“We will act for all citizens of Israel, those who voted for us and those who did not, out of deep commitment,” Eisenkot said ahead of the Knesset swearing-in ceremony.

Netanyahu has sought to undermine the certified election results after his bloc fell short of a majority. He has repeated unsubstantiated claims that Arab-led parties “stole” the elections.

مطلع المقال، مقتطف من The Sydney Morning Herald. لقراءة المقال كاملًا، افتحه على موقع الناشر.