Appointment of former Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen as Minister of Foreign Affairs

Netanyahu is sworn in as head of the new Israeli government

63 deputies in the “Knesset” out of 120 gave confidence to the Netanyahu government.

Reuters

Yesterday, Benjamin Netanyahu was sworn in as Prime Minister of Israel, after Parliament gave its confidence to the new government, which is seen as the most right-wing in Israel's history.

Netanyahu took the constitutional oath minutes after giving 63 deputies in the “Knesset” out of 120 their confidence in the government that he formed from ministers from his Likud party and hard-line and far-right religious parties.

Yesterday, the Israeli Prime Minister appointed former Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen as Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Before his government was sworn in, Netanyahu announced the appointment of Cohen in a speech he delivered in Parliament, in which he presented the directions of his government, which is supposed to be approved in a vote, to take over its duties to succeed the diverse coalition led by outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid.

This is the sixth government formed by Netanyahu, the leader of the conservative Likud party.

The former prime minister returns to power after a year and a half in the ranks of the opposition.

His alliance with religious Zionism and the Jewish Power party raised concerns given their opposition to the establishment of a Palestinian state and the previous incitement of their leaders, both settlers in the West Bank, against the Israeli judicial system and the Arab minority.

To fend off such criticism, Netanyahu has repeatedly vowed to promote tolerance and the pursuit of peace.

In a speech before the Knesset, he said that "ending the Arab-Israeli conflict" is his top priority, along with thwarting Iran's nuclear program and building Israel's military capabilities.

For the Palestinians, the formation of the Netanyahu government has darkened an already bleak outlook.

After a year of escalating violence in the West Bank, it is now planned to expand Jewish settlements on land Palestinians hope to establish a future state.

Netanyahu's conservative Likud party said the government would "support and strengthen settlement" in areas to which "the Jewish people have an inalienable right".

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said that these broad lines announced by the Likud party represent "a dangerous escalation and will have repercussions for the region."

Netanyahu, who will now begin an unprecedented sixth term for an Israeli prime minister, seems reluctant for now to seek annexation of West Bank land, a policy he once pursued that would have pleased the settler base.

The new government wants to implement far-reaching political changes and, among other things, deliberately weaken the judicial system.

According to experts, the changes could also lead to the cancellation of Netanyahu's ongoing corruption trial.

Even before the swearing-in ceremony, several controversial legislative changes had been pushed through Parliament.

This was seen as a precondition for a joint coalition agreement.

Meanwhile, Jordan's King Abdullah II warned of the outbreak of a new uprising, indicating that this would not be in the interest of the Israelis or the Palestinians.

In an interview with the American news network "CNN", the Jordanian monarch said: "We must be concerned about the emergence of a new intifada, and if that happens, it may lead to a complete collapse, and this is something that will not be in the interest of the Israelis or the Palestinians," noting that "Everyone in the region is very concerned, including those in Israel, and they agree on the need to prevent this from happening."

In response to a question regarding Netanyahu's return to power in Israel, he said that the Israelis have the right to choose their leaders, "and we will work with everyone as long as we are able to bring all parties together, we are ready to move forward," according to excerpts reported by the Jordanian News Agency (Petra).

In answer to a question about whether the status quo and Jordan's role as custodian of the holy places in Jerusalem is threatened by the expectations associated with the new Israeli government, the king said, "There are always people trying to push for that, and this is a source of concern, but I don't think these individuals are under Jordan's eyes only, but they are under the eyes of the international community ».

He added, "We live in a difficult area and this is something we are used to, and if a side wants to provoke a confrontation with us, we are well prepared, but I always like to look at the full half of the glass."

He continued, "On the other hand, we have red lines, and if someone wants to cross these red lines, we will deal with that, but we realize that many parties in Israel share our concern."

Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news