Team News Riveting
The transition meeting of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and his predecessor Benjamin Netanyahu at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem on Monday lasted lass than half-an-hour; bypassing the traditional ceremony associated with the development.
Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was ousted from power after 12 years in office last night by the incoming coalition, gave just 25 minutes for handing over the charge to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. Soon after the handing over, Netanyahu publicly declared that he would swiftly bring down the new government.
The formal transfer of power ended without the traditional ceremony and public good wishes, without a handshake and with no photo-op, an overt signal that Netanyahu would not have a smooth show going for Bennett, his own one-time chief of staff.
No further meetings had been planned between them. Netanyahu declined to take part in the traditional transition ceremony, and the brief meeting took place behind closed doors, with no statement to the press.
Netanyahu convened all the members of the Knesset (MKs) in his bloc of Likud, Shas, United Torah Judaism and the Religious Zionist Party at the Knesset on Monday and urged them to work hard together to bring the new government down.
“The fraudulent government will fall quickly, because it is united solely on hatred, exclusion and greed,” Netanyahu told the MKs.
Netanyahu announced that the Right bloc would meet weekly to plan strategy and maintain discipline within the bloc. “I have never seen an opposition so cohesive and strong,” Netanyahu said.
