A LAST MINUTE DEAL IN ISRAEL MEANS PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU IS OUT. HIS MAIN RIVALS.... NAFTALI BENNETT AND YAIR LAPID... ANNOUNCED THEIR UNITY COALITION TO AVOID A FIFTH STRAIGHT ELECTION. BUT NETANYAHU.... STILL FIGHTING CORRUPTION CHARGES... IS NOT EXPECTED TO LEAVE WITHOUT A FIGHT AND COULD SET UP A LENGTHY TRANSITION PROCESS.
WE'RE LOOKING AT THE LEADERSHIP CHANGES IN ISRAEL... WITH DR. NADER HASHEMI... THE DIRECTOR OF D-U'S CENTER FOR MIDDLE EAST STUDIES.
Background from ABC:
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's opponents on Wednesday announced they have reached a deal to form a new governing coalition, paving the way for the ouster of the longtime Israeli leader. The dramatic announcement by opposition leader Yair Lapid and his main coalition partner, Naftali Bennett, came shortly before a midnight deadline and prevented the country from plunging into what would have been its fifth consecutive election in just over two years. Under the agreement, Lapid and Bennett will split the job of prime minister in a rotation. Bennett will serve the first two years, while Lapid is to serve the final two years. The historic deal also includes a small Islamist party, the United Arab List, which would make it the first Arab party ever to be part of a governing coalition. For his part, Netanyahu, desperate to remain in office while he fights corruption charges, is expected to do everything possible in the coming days to prevent the new coalition from taking power. In other words: things could get ugly before they're resolved.