Bennett-Lapid Coalition Could Collapse Over Failed Vote on West Bank Settlement Communities

JERUSALEM, Israel – The future of the coalition government headed by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Alternate Prime Minister Yair Lapid is in question after it failed to pass a critical vote on the legal status of Israeli settlement communities in the West Bank—biblical Judea and Samaria. 

The vote centered on a bill to renew a decades-old measure that extends Israeli law to citizens living in the West Bank. The regulations mean that Israeli citizens living there are treated as though they live in Israel, even though the territory is disputed and has not been officially annexed by Israel. Those same legal protections do not apply to Palestinians who are also living there. 

The measure must be renewed every five years and expires on June 30. Failure to pass the bill jeopardizes the legal status of Israelis in the West Bank and could prevent them from receiving ID cards, which are needed to exercise basic rights like voting, Channel 12 news reported. 

“It will create chaos for justice matters in Judea and Samaria,” Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar told Israeli media last week. “It will harm the territory’s connection to Israel and Israeli law, and will harm some 500,000 Israelis living in Judea and Samaria.”

Proponents of renewing the measure say they are trying to maintain the status quo in the West Bank and preserve the fragile government. Opponents say the measure unfairly creates two different sets of legal protections for Israeli and Palestinian residents living in the same territory. 

Bennett’s governing coalition is made up of eight ideologically different parties from the political right, left, center and for the first time, an Arab Islamist party. Two Arab members of the coalition voted against the bill in a major blow to the government. 

Right-wing members of the opposition, led by former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, also voted against the measure even though they ideologically agree with it, to bring down the government.

Ultimately, 52 lawmakers voted in favor of the bill and 58 voted against it. Several lawmakers were not present at the vote due to COVID and family-related matters. 

The vote did not immediately topple Bennett’s government, but it fueled speculation that the fragile alliance is too weak to survive much longer. 

Bennett’s coalition has attempted to set aside divisive issues like Palestinian statehood, and focus instead on navigating the pandemic and building relationships with Israel’s Arab neighbors like the UAE and Bahrain. Monday’s vote was a crucial test of how the coalition will deal with controversial issues like Israeli settlement communities in the West Bank.  

Netanyahu’s Likud Party immediately called on Bennett to resign as prime minister after the failed vote.

“Bennett, go home. It’s over. It’s time to return Israel to the right,” the party said in a statement. 

Bennett’s right-wing Yamina party accused the opposition of siding with Arabs and voting “against the residents” of the West Bank. 

“The Likud will burn the country for Bibi’s needs,” the Yamina statement said, referring to Netanyahu by his nickname.

The coalition has the opportunity to present a modified version of the legislation for a vote before the end of the month. 

“As always after we lose, we will return stronger and win in the next round,” said Alternate Prime Minister Lapid in a statement on Twitter. 

But the fragile coalition is in trouble. 

 Israeli media report that Justice Minister Sa’ar’s participation in the government could be at risk if the bill fails to pass. Bennett’s coalition whip already quit earlier this year, leaving his government with just 60 seats in Israel’s 120-seat parliament. A defection from Sa’ar could give the opposition the votes it needs to topple the government. 

“Any coalition member who doesn’t vote for this law that is so central is an active participant in its demise,” Sa’ar said before the vote.

A new poll from Israel’s Channel 12 found that opposition leader Netanyahu is gaining ground among voters and that most Israelis believe the current government will collapse in the next six months.

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