Benjamin Netanyahu sworn-in as Israel's PM. Here are his biggest challenges

Benjamin Netanyahu has returned as Israel’s prime minister for a record sixth time – at the head of what has been described as the country’s most right-wing government. Netanyahu’s Likud Party, the largest in Israel, managed to take power after cobbling together a coalition with extreme-right parties such as Otzma Yehudit party (Jewish Power), Religious Zionism, and Noam as well ultra-Orthodox outfits. Though Netanyahu, who was ousted from power from 2021, finally has his heart’s desire – the prime ministership – tough times lie ahead. Let’s take a closer look at the challenges in store for ‘king Bibi’: The Palestinians Netanyahu arguably faces no bigger challenge than dealing with the Palestinians – perhaps one of his own making. While many Palestinians might think Netanyahu’s return will not change the status quo, the men he has appointed to oversee the West Bank and Israeli police – Bezalel Smotrich from Religious Zionism formation and Itamar Ben Gvir from the Jewish Power party – might quickly turn indifference into rage. Both have records of inflammatory rhetoric, and worse, against the Palestinians. Ben Gvir, one recalls, was convicted of incitement to racism and supporting a terrorist group, has decried Arab lawmakers as ‘terrorists’ and demanded they be deported. Ben Gvir has repeatedly visited Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque compound, the third-holiest site in Islam. It is also Judaism’s holiest, known as the Temple Mount. Under a historical status quo, non-Muslims can visit the sanctuary but may not pray there. Palestinians would see a visit by a serving Israeli minister as a provocation. “If Ben Gvir, as minister, goes to Al-Aqsa it will be a big red line and it will lead to an explosion,” Basem Naim, a senior official with the Islamist movement Hamas which rules the Gaza Strip, told AFP. Smotrich, meanwhile, is a West Bank settler leader who believes Israel should annex the occupied territory. Which is a problem given that most word power consider settlements built on annexed land illegal. Smotrich attempted to play his down his views in an op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal, saying there would be no “changing the political or legal status” of the West Bank. [caption id=“attachment_11864541” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Bezalel Smotrich, Israeli far-right lawmaker and leader of the Religious Zionist Party, has been appointed to oversee the West Bank. AFP[/caption] While that indicates that annexation would not immediately take place, it does mean that fighting in the West Bank, already at its highest levels in years, could escalate if Netanyahu’s allies test the tense status quo in east Jerusalem — home to the city’s most important and sensitive holy site. Violence could then spread across Israel and into the Gaza Strip, as it did in 2021.

Gaza’s Hamas rulers have already warned of an “open confrontation” next year.

The Guardian quoted Dalal Salameh, a member of the central committee of the ruling Palestinian Fatah movement, as saying, “This is a fascist government whose main goal is exclusive control over all of Palestine.” “These people will lead to an explosion because of how they think and how they will act on the ground. An explosion will come because the Palestinians will not accept it and this will lead to an intifada and going into unexpected areas. This situation leaves no possibility for people to see light,” she added. Al Jazeera quoted Palestinian leadership as saying that the conflict can be resolved only by establishing a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as the capital. “There will be no peace, security or stability in the region” without a two-state solution, Nabil Abu Rdeneh, a spokesman for Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, was quoted as saying. Denis Charbit, professor of political science at Israel’s Open University, told AFP the government “is the addition of Netanyahu’s political weakness, linked to his age and his trial, and the fact that you have a new political family of the revolutionary right that we had never seen with this strength in Israel”. Smotrich and Ben Gvir “have a very strong thirst for power” and their priority remains the expansion of West Bank settlements, Charbit said. The United States Netanyahu’s far-right allies could also alienate liberals in the United States, who are some of Israel’s staunchest supporters. Liberals, including those of the Jewish faith and leaders of the American Jewish community are horrified about the views they’ve heard Netanyahu’s governing partners espouse with regards to women, minorities, and LGBTQ. Given American Jews’ predominantly liberal political views, these misgivings could have a ripple effect in Washington and further widen a partisan divide over support for Israel. Netanyahu for his part, has tried to calm things down, telling media “there is no reason to be concerned. My government will care for all the citizens of Israel”.

But even some conservatives are expressing discomfort.

Dov Zakheim, a veteran of many Republican regimes, told Times of Israel,  “Traditional conservatives are much closer to the Bushes, and Jim Baker and those sorts of folks.” “The conservative right was with [Netanyahu] and now he seems to be riding the tiger of the radical right,” added David Makovsky, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “I think that is bound to alienate the very people who counted on him being risk-averse and to focus on the economy.” It could also upset the man in the White House and members of his administration – who have backed a two-state solution. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that Washington would oppose settlement expansion as well as any bid to annex the West Bank. CNN quoted a National Security Council spokesperson as saying, “As we have made clear, we do not support policies that endanger the viability of a two-state solution or contradict our mutual interests and values.” President Joe Biden, of course, is no stranger to strained tensions with Israel – having a first-hand look when he was vice-president in the Obama administration. [caption id=“attachment_11755651” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have had a decades-long relationship. AFP[/caption] But a post in the Jerusalem Post posited that this relationship need not be fractious. “It is not impossible that the two newly empowered leaders will work together in a less confrontational manner than that which existed between Netanyahu and Biden’s Democratic predecessor, Obama,” the piece noted. The piece added that Biden is not Obama and that the Commander-In-Chief publicly self-identifies as a gentile Zionist. “Michael Oren, Israel’s Washington ambassador in Obama’s first term, has written that even during times of high tension, when no one else in the administration would agree to a meeting, the doors of the vice-president’s office always remained open,” the piece noted. Israel’s security chiefs The military, along with Israel’s police and myriad security agencies, command influence and respect in Israeli society. Netanyahu has historically worked well with his security chiefs. But Netanyahu’s appointments of Gvir and Smotrich may have put paid to that. So much so that the outgoing army chief contacted Netanyahu and express concerns. On Monday, in a phone call to Netanyahu, armed forces chief Aviv Kochavi expressed his concerns regarding the creation of a second ministerial post in the defence ministry for Smotrich, who will oversee management of civilian affairs in the West Bank. The army said the men agreed there would be no policy changes until the military presents its viewpoints. “The army must be kept out of the political discourse,” it said. The judiciary Judicial changes, headlined by a plan to give parliament the power to overturn Supreme Court decisions, could lead to the dismissal of corruption charges against Netanyahu. As per Axios, another constitutional crisis could be just around the corner with regard to the appointment of Aryeh Deri, the twice-convicted leader of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party. The Knesset had to change a law to allow Deri to serve as interior and health minister.

The Supreme Court is set to rule on whether the law is constitutional.

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These proposals have drawn conflict-of-interest allegations and raised concerns they will destroy the democracy’s system of checks and balances. The secular middle class Netanyahu and his allies have announced an ambitious agenda of social changes that are deeply unpopular with the secular middle class, according to a recent survey by the Israel Democracy Institute, an influential think tank. They include plans to weaken the Supreme Court and increase already unpopular stipends for ultra-Orthodox Jewish seminary students who do not serve in the military or work. A proposal endorsed by his allies would allow hospitals and businesses to discriminate against LGBTQ people. Protesters are already demonstrating in the streets against the incoming government. Hundreds of members of Israel’s powerful high-tech sector, scores of retired fighter pilots and retired diplomats have all published letters against the new government. The letters, written by ex-ambassadors to France, India, and Turkey, expressed “profound concern at the serious damage to Israel’s foreign relations, its international standing and its core interests abroad emanating from what will apparently be the policy of the incoming Government,” as per CNN.

These trends could all gain steam in the coming months.

Yohanan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute think-tank, told AFP that while this was a ‘dream government’ for Netanyahu’s partners that “one side’s dream is the other side’s nightmare.” This government is expected to take the country in a completely new trajectory,” he added. Earlier, outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid in his address to the Knesset listed the achievements of his short-lived government, including those of his predecessor and coalition partner Naftali Bennett. “We are handing you a government in excellent condition … try not to destroy it, we will be back soon,” Lapid said. In a Facebook post, Lapid vowed to continue to fight to topple the incoming government and make a comeback. “Citizens of Israel, thanks for the last year and a half,” he wrote. “This isn’t the end, this is the beginning of the struggle for our beloved country. We are fighting for the future of our kids and we won’t stop until we topple the government of destruction, and return”. His own party Netanyahu wields a firm grip on Likud — by far the largest party in parliament. But several members are unhappy over his generous concessions to smaller parties that have left them without the high-powered Cabinet posts they coveted. Some have even complained publicly. There are no signs of a rebellion. But if they remain unhappy, they could hinder his ability to pass his agenda in parliament. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News ,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.