Crunch Vote for Israel's 'Change' Coalition Draws Nearer

Supporters of veteran Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demonstrate in Tel Aviv against the "change" coalition that is to be put to a confidence vote in parliament next week or the week after. (AFP)
Supporters of veteran Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demonstrate in Tel Aviv against the "change" coalition that is to be put to a confidence vote in parliament next week or the week after. (AFP)
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Crunch Vote for Israel's 'Change' Coalition Draws Nearer

Supporters of veteran Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demonstrate in Tel Aviv against the "change" coalition that is to be put to a confidence vote in parliament next week or the week after. (AFP)
Supporters of veteran Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demonstrate in Tel Aviv against the "change" coalition that is to be put to a confidence vote in parliament next week or the week after. (AFP)

The speaker of the Israeli parliament will formally notify lawmakers Monday of the opposition's announcement of a coalition to unseat veteran premier Benjamin Netanyahu, his office said.

The notification will set in motion preparations for a confidence vote in the new government, which will now likely be held on Wednesday or the following Monday, Israeli media said.

The late Friday announcement by speaker Yariv Levin, a close Netanyahu ally, allays fears their right-wing Likud party could find procedural ways to block the formation of the motley coalition that would end Netanyahu's 12 consecutive years in office.

On paper, the coalition announced by opposition leader Yair Lapid just minutes before a midnight Wednesday deadline, should command a slender majority in the confidence vote.

But all eyes will be on potential defections from the disparate alliance which is united only by shared hostility to Netanyahu.

Under the agreement, Naftali Bennett of the religious nationalist Yamina party would be premier for two years, to be replaced by the centrist Lapid in 2023.

With possible jail time hanging over him in his ongoing trial on corruption charges, Netanyahu is not expected to give up without a fight.

His supporters have been working hard to win defections from lawmakers from Bennett's own Yamina party uncomfortable with their leader's alliance with Jewish leftists and Arab conservatives.

Demonstrations orchestrated by Netanyahu supporters have been held outside the home of Yamina lawmaker Nir Orbach, who has warned Bennett he may not support him in the confidence vote.

Were Orbach to vote against the deal without resigning from the party, the coalition would not have a majority.

A Friday post on Netanyahu's Facebook page said that "those who were elected on right-wing votes have to do the right thing -- to form a good, strong right-wing government".

Should last-minute defections scupper the alliance, Israel would likely have to return to the polls for its fifth election in just over two years.



Putin Tells Netanyahu Issues Surrounding Iran’s Nuclear Program Must Be Solved Through Diplomacy

 In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin meets with service members as part of the "Time of Heroes" program, which aims to integrate veterans into high-ranking public positions, at the Kremlin in Moscow on June 12, 2025. (AFP)
In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin meets with service members as part of the "Time of Heroes" program, which aims to integrate veterans into high-ranking public positions, at the Kremlin in Moscow on June 12, 2025. (AFP)
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Putin Tells Netanyahu Issues Surrounding Iran’s Nuclear Program Must Be Solved Through Diplomacy

 In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin meets with service members as part of the "Time of Heroes" program, which aims to integrate veterans into high-ranking public positions, at the Kremlin in Moscow on June 12, 2025. (AFP)
In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin meets with service members as part of the "Time of Heroes" program, which aims to integrate veterans into high-ranking public positions, at the Kremlin in Moscow on June 12, 2025. (AFP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, in separate telephone conversations on Friday, told Iran's president that Moscow condemned Israel's actions against Tehran and told Israel's prime minister that questions around Iran's nuclear program could only be solved through diplomacy.

A Kremlin statement said Putin told Iran's Masoud Pezeshkian that Russia "condemns the actions of Israel taken in violation of the UN Charter" and expressed condolences for those killed.

The statement said Putin, in his conversation with Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu "stressed the importance of a return to the process of talks and resolution of all issues concerning Iran's nuclear program strictly through political and diplomatic means".

The Kremlin statement said Russia would remain in close contact with both Iran and Israel.