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Israeli prime minister's dysfunctional, fragile coalition hits reality

Trying to please all components of his coalition, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett now heads a government that is too large, too spread out and too geared on compromises.
Waleed Taha campaign poster

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett was in a good mood when he arrived at his office July 11. Israel’s top political commentators were effusive in their praise about the way he was functioning in his new office. They commended him for his secret meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah, which was first revealed to the public July 8, and noted how it signaled a warming of the relationship between the two countries. Bennett could also chalk up a victory for the way he boosted the coronavirus vaccine supply from Pfizer after clinching a deal with Pfizer CEO Albert Burla the night before. This was especially significant, given how former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used to boast about his good relationship with Burla, and how that enabled Israel to become the first country in the world to achieve mass vaccination.

All in all, everything seemed to be working out. Bennett was finally breaking away from the ominous shadow of his predecessor. Then reality hit him in the face. Suddenly he was forced to contend with his new government. Once it was stripped of all the glittery packaging, the coalition turned out to be much more complicated than he imagined, and far less stable too.

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