Skip to main content

Bennett-Lapid tensions threaten Israeli rotation agreement

An increasing number of reports indicate that tensions are growing between advisers in the team of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and advisers of Foreign Minister Yair Lapid.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett (R) elbow-bumps Alternate Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid before the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting in the Knesset building, Jerusalem, July 19, 2021.

In another year and a half — on Aug. 27, 2023, to be exact — Foreign Minister Yair Lapid will be taking over the prime minister’s office, as part of the rotation agreement that made the current government possible. If everything goes according to plan, incumbent Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will step down after a two-year term as prime minister and become the next minister of the interior.

The question is whether this will really happen. Ever since the current government was formed, everyone wondered whether Bennett really will respect the rotation agreement and vacate the prime minister’s office.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.