The grand coalition government in Israel. New faces of the political crisis
The grand coalition government in Israel. New faces of the political crisis

Author(s): Karolina Zielińska
Subject(s): Government/Political systems, Political behavior, Health and medicine and law
Published by: OSW Ośrodek Studiów Wschodnich im. Marka Karpia
Keywords: Israel; Benyamin Netanyahu; Israeli parliamentary democracy; COVID-19 pandemic; balance of power;
Summary/Abstract: After three rounds of early parliamentary elections in Israel, in May 2020 a grand coalition government was sworn in. The parties that make it up belong to a block of conservative and religious groups centred on the Likud bloc of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, together with the centre-left bloc associated with the Blue and Whites led by Binyamin Gantz. However, the appointment of a government does not mean the end of the political crisis. Uncertainty about the intentions of the central figure on Israel’s political scene, Prime Minister Netanyahu, continues. It is not clear whether he will hand over office to Gantz in November 2021 in accordance with the coalition agreement, or how he intends to deal with the trial that has just started in which he has been charged with corruption. Moreover, the ruling coalition has already been shaken by conflicts, a situation which has been exacerbated by the presence in the Knesset of an opposition which is strong and has been gaining increasing support in the polls. Matters have also been made more difficult by the challenges connected with the second wave of theCOVID-19 pandemic, as well as the country’s economic problems and the protests they have motivated.

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