Naftali Bennett, center, who is set to become Prime Minister, is surrounded by bodyguards at the Israel’s parliament, known as the Knesset, prior to the vote on the new government, in Jerusalem, Sunday, June 13, 2021. Israel is set to swear in a new government on Sunday that will send Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into the opposition after a record 12 years in office and a political crisis that sparked four elections in two years. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
The latest on Israel’s incoming government (all times local):
4:05 p.m.
JERUSALEM — Israel’s Knesset, or parliament, has convened for a vote that is expected to end the historic 12-year rule of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The parliament is to hold a debate ahead of a vote of confidence for a new coalition government formed by a collection of Netanyahu’s opponents.
If the coalition is approved, Naftali Bennett, a former ally turned rival of Netanyahu, would become prime minister over a disparate coalition of parties from the political right, left and center. Netanyahu is slated to become the opposition leader.
Bennett, whose parents immigrated to Israel from the United States, is expected to stress the need for close relations with the U.S.
But Bennett, who shares Netanyahu’s hardline ideology, is also expected to echo the outgoing prime minister’s opposition to restoring the international nuclear deal with Iran.
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Source: https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-iran-nuclear-34045b82ea0b725547c5b503d6d90f4d
