Benjamin Netanyahu back with extreme-right government in Israel

Jerusalem: Benjamin Netanyahu is set to return to power in Israel on Thursday to lead the most right-wing government the country has ever seen.

After a stint in opposition, Netanyahu will take over power following a ratification vote in the Israeli parliament at 11:00 am, AFP reported.

However, not everybody in the nation is happy about Netanyahu returning to power hitch-hiking ultra-Orthodox and extreme-right parties following the election on November 1.

The news agency AFP reported that the country’s senior security and law enforcement officials are concerned over new government’s policies, as have Palestinians.

Among Netanyahu’s alliance partners are Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism formation and Itamar Ben Gvir’s Jewish Power party, both known for their inflammatory remarks about the Palestinians.

They will, according to the report, take charge respectively of Israeli settlement policy in the West Bank, and of the Israeli police.

Netanyahu, 73, who spent longer than other leaders in power, is fighting corruption allegations in court.

Yohanan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute think-tank, said that the government could be a dream one for Netanyahu’s partners but a nightmare for the other side.

A ragtag grouping of the leftist, centrists and Arab parties, led by Naftali Bennett and former TV news anchor Yair Lapid, ousted Netanyahu from power in 2021.

However, the seasoned politician bounced back to power before long and his coalition will have complete say in policies regarding Palestine.

On Monday, armed forces chief Aviv Kochavi talked to Netanyahu expressing concern over the creation of a second ministerial post in the defense ministry to oversee management of civilian affairs in the West Bank.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Washington would oppose Israel’s settlement expansion and move to annex the West Bank.