Major Failures v Minor Achievements: Wrapping Up Israeli PM Bennett's Year in Office

In mid-June 2021, when Naftali Bennett assumed the role of Israeli Prime Minister, he vowed to improve the life of ordinary citizens. Among other things, he promised better security and an improved image of Israel internationally. One year on, however, and his achievements don't seem that bright.

A year ago, Israel swore in its 36th government, ending the 12-year rule of former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In his inaugural speech on 13 June 2021, Prime Minister-elect, Naftali Bennett, announced the aims of his tenure. On foreign policy, he vowed to curb Iran's nuclear programme and improve Israel's global image.

On the home front, the list of promises was longer: Bennett said he would pass the national budget, improve the sense of security and bridge gaps within Israeli society. His government would work towards repairing Israel's economy from the ravages of the coronavirus pandemic, and would help the Arab population, that has long suffered from inadequate funding, by lowering the price of property, fuel, electricity and food.

One year on, Sputnik takes a look at what he has achieved and where the present government has failed.

Achievements

One thing Bennett has achieved which no one else has is to bring together eight factions with conflicting ideologies into a coalition that managed to stay united, despite predictions it would fall apart within months.

The establishment of his government has stabilised Israel politically, putting an end to the continual electioneering and saving Israeli taxpayers millions of dollars.

Other achievements at home include passing Israel's national budget, after three-and-a-half years of wrangling, and relative quiet on the Gaza border.

Bennett has also had his successes on the international stage: he was welcomed with open arms by Abu Dhabi, Cairo and Bahrain. He improved relations with Jordan and has reset talks with Turkish authorities, after years of hostilities. He has also improved ties with America's Democrat party after relations had soured under his predecessor Netanyahu.

Failures

However, for many Israelis this was just not enough. Though there have been reforms, they haven't happened quickly enough.

First, there was the coronavirus pandemic: when Bennett came to power, the health situation was relatively stable - millions had been vaccinated and the number of infected people was on the wane. However, with the emergence of the omicron variant in December, things quickly got out of control. Tens of thousands tested positive for COVID every day, long queues for testing snaked all over the country, and hospitals sounded the alarm that they would soon collapse under the pressure.

The coalition seemed oblivious to all the suffering. Lockdowns and curfews were out of question, as Bennett was determined to take a different path from his predecessor. Hospitals were not given enough medical equipment or staff, and the quality and speed of service plummeted.

In January, at the height of the fifth wave, a poll found that 63 percent of Israelis felt the government didn't handle the coronavirus pandemic well enough and 62 percent felt Bennett was unsatisfactory.

Dissatisfaction was not confined to the poor health service. Israelis have also been able to inveigh against the high cost of living, electricity and fuel bills which are always on the rise, seemingly interminable traffic jams and property prices soaring out of most people's reach.

The government is scrabbling for excuses. In an interview with Israel's Channel 12 on Saturday, a coalition ministers Nachman Shai blamed the high cost of living on the Ukraine conflict. Other officials claim that reforms need time to bed in - but time is a commodity which is in short supply for the government.

Recently the government has found life particularly trying: none of the Bills the coalition wanted to advance, including the application of criminal law in Judea and Samaria, have been passed in the Knesset.

Questions have also been raised on whether the present government is able to tackle the terrorist threat that has been mounting. So far this year 19 Israelis have died at the hands of Arab terrorists - far higher than in previous years.

The government has striven to get everything on the right track but there have been loud calls from the opposition that it relinquish power.

Those calls have carried on relentlessly: Conservatives have been staged a plethora of demonstrations across the country. Dissent has become increasingly enraged on social media and polls predicting Bennett's downfall have become increasingly frequent.

One such poll predicts that Bennett's Yamina party will only get five out of the 120 seats in the Israeli chamber, barely passing the threshold. The poll also predicted that the present coalition will get 53 seats - eight fewer than it needs to form a government.

Bennett's sorrows are his predecessor Netanyahu's joys. The former PM and veteran politician seems to be going from strength to strength with polls reckoning he will net between 34 and 38 seats. As the coalition enters its death throes, the ex-premier is in the wings, readying himself for a return to centre stage.