Netanyahu eyes comeback as ‘whining’ rival’s coalition loses power

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, Israel’s pugnacious former premier, is planning a political comeback on Wednesday, after the government led by his former protegé lost its majority last week.

Mr Netanyahu’s Right-wing Likud party is poised to raise a motion to dissolve the government following the resignation of one of its key coalition members on Thursday.

The coalition, led by Naftali Bennett, was left reeling after Arab lawmaker Ghaida Rinawie Zoabi stepped down in protest at extreme Right-wing rhetoric from senior figures.

It means Mr Bennett now heads a minority government, commanding just 59 seats out of the 120 in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament. The motion to dissolve the government, which will reportedly be tabled on Wednesday, could lead to Israel calling its fifth election in three years, though it is unclear whether the opposition has enough support to pass it.

Dahlia Scheindlin, an Israeli pollster and political analyst, said Mr Netanyahu could be on the cusp of a comeback but would first need to unite the squabbling and fractured factions in opposition.

“He has a chance of making a comeback but there’s still a lot that is up in the air,” Dr Scheindlin said.

“They [the opposition] need to make sure they have the majority of 61 for the formal readings and to do that there’s a lot of moving parts.

“The parties are practically not operating as parties anymore; each individual faction member seems to be deciding on his or her own.”

Mr Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, has been plotting a return to the premiership since last June, when he was toppled by a patchwork coalition of Left-wingers, centrists, hardline Right-wingers and an Arab party.

The coalition was forged by centrist leader Yair Lapid and 50-year-old Mr Bennett, the leader of the hard-Right Yamina party, who used to consider Mr Netanyahu as a mentor before they became bitter rivals.

Mr Lapid, the foreign minister, sought to put on a brave face as he said that the government’s demise had been predicted many times before without coming to pass.

“We have been eulogised five times already with special broadcasts – and we came back,” he said.

“Now those same people are telling you that it’s all over – it’s not over, we are still here.”

If next week’s motion to dissolve the government passes it would be a dramatic turn in fortune for Mr Netanyahu, whose attempts to secure a quick return to power have failed.

The Likud leader is on trial for fraud and corruption charges that he vehemently denies, and earlier this year there were reports that some disgruntled party members sought to remove him as opposition leader.

Mr Netanyau has ramped up his attacks on Mr Bennett in recent weeks, deriding him as “weak,” “whining” and incompetent in posts on social media where he has millions of followers.

He has been particularly scathing of Mr Bennett’s security record, which is under scrutiny as Israeli cities have experienced deadly urban terror attacks this year by Palestinian militants.

They include a gun attack in a trendy nightlife district of Tel Aviv, an axe attack in central Israel and a shooting in the ultra-orthodox city of Bnei Brak.

In some cases, the attackers reached their targets after slipping through holes in the fence between the Jewish state and the West Bank.

“We must not wait for the next terrorist attack or the next shooting,” Mr Netanyahu said of the so-called “wave of terror” in a speech in April, rallying his Likud supporters.

“We must immediately form a strong Right-wing government under my leadership to restore security and quiet.”

Despite his trial, polling suggests that Mr Netanyahu remains the most popular politician in the country, and the 72-year-old is no stranger to recovering from major setbacks.

He first became prime minister in 1996 – Israel’s youngest ever – but was trounced after just one term by Ehud Barak and retired from politics.

But after 10 years in political exile Mr Netanyahu returned to the head of Likud and led the party to victory in 2009, 2013 and 2015.

‘We have been eulogised five times already. People are telling you it’s all over – it’s not over, we are still here’