Description: Leaders from Israel’s political opposition such as Yair Lapid, the head of the Tesh Atid party, State Camp party leader Benny Gantz and the leader of the Democrats, Yair Golan have jointly called for Benjamin Netanyahu’s resignation. The concerns over the Prime Minister’s leadership originated from the multiple corruption cases leveled against him in Israeli courts as well as his decision to dismiss Shin – Bet’s current Chief Ronen Bar. Bar submitted a letter to Israel’s Supreme Court on Monday which blamed Netanyahu for demanding personal loyalty from Shin Bet’s Chief as opposed to loyalty to his country. Opposition leaders have also cited concerns that Netanyahu aimed at restructuring Israel’s judicial system, granting additional powers to the government which would significantly endanger Israel’s fragile democratic landscape. The unraveling political crisis comes at a sensitive time where Israel is engaged in multi sided war in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Lebanon and Syria.
Impact: Israel’s political opposition remained unwavering in their demands to Netanyahu to cede power as recent political practices have labeled the Prime Minister a national security risk and an authoritarian. Netanyahu has been struggling to consolidate power as he faced multiple corruption charges and was devalued politically by the Qatargate scandal, which saw two of his advisors imprisoned. The dispute with Ronen Bar additionally fueled Israel’s internal political crisis which could see the country losing its strategic bearing in a period of crisis where Israel is engaged in multiple wars throughout the Middle East. Potential aggravation of the internal political crisis could be exploited by Israel’s adversaries to loosen the country’s military grip in the region especially the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Iran could potentially benefit in large amount, from the abrupt dissolution among Israel’s governmental ranks, as the country is considerably vested in negotiations with the US mostly regarding the country’s disputed nuclear program and the imposed sanctions.