-Blank NEWS Online (NIGERIA) –By Austen AKHAGBEME:
IN a seismic bid to oust the twelve year reign of the former Isreali Prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, a coalition of Parties of strange bedfellows was necessary and required.
With a collective desire to change the tiring status quo, these eight political parties with deferring ideological leanings broker an unprecedented understanding to edge out the controversial Netanyahu who had on two occasions, had inconclusive elections that has brought the centre- right wing hawks to disrepute.
Netanyahu, popularly referred to by his admirers as ” King Bibi” was dangerously becoming a waiting trouble within the local political landscape.
His divisive 12 year successive reign, saw to the emergence of intra party wrangling and witch hunting that culminates into real and imagined accusations of corruption levelled against him by the opposition.
On Sunday, with a razor- thin margin of 60 to 59 votes, the Knesset legislature nailed the coffin of the rule of the youngest emerging but longest serving Prime- Minister of all time in Isreal.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s defeat arguably, is Iran’s delight. This owes substantially to the fact that Netanyahu has openly sworn to ensure that Iran does not develop nor possess nuclear weapons in his time. But this may soon be short lived as the incoming Prime minister, Naftali Bennett is not likely to sing a different tone.
The emergence of Bennett is seen in some circles as a mere continuation of his erstwhile boss’ hardline disposition. Naftali Bennett is not new to the murky waters of Isreali divisive politics and aggressively belligerent foreign policy posturing within her immediate surroundings.
To him, the land from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean sea, which includes Gaza, is an habitable right of every Jewish Isreali. As a former Defence minister, his ” shoot to Kill” order of yore still resonates among its victims and has formed a negative aura around him.
Bennett’s new found political friends include those he had earlier openly sworn never to dine with, even with a long spoon. But in politics, nothing is permanent except personal interests and convenience. Today, he’s in cahoots with Isreal’s opposition leader and former minister of Finance and head of the Centrist- Yesh Atid Party , Yair Lapid.
Benjamin Netanyahu has promised to come back. How he will get this done considering his dwindling reputation, age and daunting corruption charges staring at him in the face, remains a matter of conjecture. At 71, kindly join me to wish Benjamin Netanyahu success in other future endeavours.
- Austen AKHAGBEME is a Columnist with Blank NEWS Online
