Vote of Confidence in New Israeli Government Set for Sunday

Israel appears finally ready to set off on a new political path after parliament speaker Yariv Levin on Tuesday announced that the designated government’s vote of confidence will be held this coming Sunday. If the motion passes, the new government is immediately sworn in. The declaration followed days of concern among members of the intended “change” government, who feared the speaker, who is closely allied with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, would delay the crucial vote as much as possible – until Monday at the latest – to allow time for the outgoing premier to pull a final trick from up his sleeve. Also on Tuesday, the final wavering member of the future government, who in recent days contemplated opposing the coalition for its cooperation with left-wing and Arab parties, announced that he would vote yea, securing the required 61-seat majority. If everything goes as planned for the Naftali Bennett-Yair Lapid alliance, by this time next week, Israel’s prime minister will, for the first time in over 12 years, not be named Netanyahu.