Yair Lapid informed Israeli President Reuven Rivlin that he had managed to form a coalition government with Naftali Bennett, a former defense minister who was once an ally of Netanyahu and leader of the small religious party Yamina. “The government will do everything it can to unite every part of Israeli society,” Lapid told Rivlin. Bennett, a former settler leader who shares many of Netanyahu’s uncompromising views, is expected to serve as prime minister for two years before handing over the reins to Lapid for two more. The new government, which will oust Benjamin Netanyahu after 12 years, will see an Arab-Israeli party, Ra’am, in the coalition for the first time, and will be composed of a diverse constellation, which will bring together 8 forces, including leftist and right-wing nationalist parties. .
Rivlin congratulated Yair Lapid after the announcement of the coalition agreement. “We will expect the Knesset to be convened as soon as possible for the government to be ratified as required by law,” Rivlin tweeted.