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The departure of Netanyahu, 71, has left the country bitterly divided
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The new government’s policies likely to be hampered by a razor-thin majority it commands in the parliament
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s 12-year rule was set to end on Sunday when parliament votes on a new government, the media reports said. The new government will include the party that represents the 21 percent Arab minority.
The departure of Netanyahu, 71 has left the country bitterly divided.
The new coalition was cobbled together by the centrist opposition leader Yair Lapid and ultra-nationalist Naftali Bennett. The cabinet will be sworn in after a Knesset confidence vote it is expected to win.
The two leaders will be prime ministers on rotation. Bennett, a hardline hi-tech millionaire, will serve as prime minister for two years followed by Lapid, a former popular TV host. Bennett will likely pursue the same right-wing agenda as Netanyahu.
The new government will focus on domestic reforms and plans to largely avoid sweeping moves toward the Palestinians. The coalition’s policies are likely to be hampered by a razor-thin majority it commands in the parliament.