Portugal travel list: 'Let us go on holiday and live our lives' - BBC News

News that Portugal will be taken off the government's green list of quarantine-free destinations from Tuesday has thrown travel plans for thousands into disarray. Some tell the BBC of cancelled holidays, wasted money and family visits postponed once again.

Kerry, a photographer from the Wirral, says her family - like many others - have had "the year from hell".

Her partner has been shielding for over a year due to an auto-immune disease, Kerry has had to nurse her mother through Covid-19 and a stroke, and her 18-month old son has hardly known a world without a pandemic.

She was just about to book a trip to Portugal, one of the few tourist destinations where quarantine-free travel was allowed, when the rules changed.

From 04:00 BST on Tuesday, it will join the amber list, meaning holidaymakers should not visit and arrivals must self-isolate for 10 days.

Kerry says: "This holiday was everything for us our first with our baby who has had no experiences in his first 18 months on this planet."

Family handout

Kerry says there are countries with low rates of infection but the government refuses to "let us holiday and live our life", even when many people are fully vaccinated.

• Where is on the green list for holiday travel?

Rachel Richmond, from Edinburgh, also expects to be fully vaccinated by the time of her two-week trip to Portugal in early July, booked just last week.

"What is the point of being vaccinated if you cannot go anywhere? It is so utterly frustrating and so unfair," she says.

She feels the government keeps "shifting the goalposts on travel", raising the hopes of people who follow the rules only to dash them a few weeks later.

'Travel not responsible'

Although travel to Portugal will still be legally permitted for people willing to quarantine on their return, some people - like Paul Modley and his partner, Tom Griffith, from London - say they are cancelling their trip.

"It doesn't feel responsible" to travel anyway, Paul says, adding: "Neither of us are really up for doing quarantine for 10 days when we come back."

Paul Modley

The couple will lose £360 spent on PCR tests to travel. They do not yet know if the airline or accommodation provider will give them a refund.

Paul, 54, says he booked out of "hope" that they would be able to get away and relax after the stresses of the last 15 months.

The suspense of waiting to hear if they had a negative test had already meant it was "not the most relaxing start or preparation for a holiday."

But he says: "It was worth a punt."

'Plans in disarray'

For others, the news that the green list status might be revoked came when they were already in Portugal - in the case of Mervyn Dinnen, just as he landed at Faro airport in the Algarve from Gatwick.

It's not the first time he's experienced a travel U-turn from the UK government, having previously been in the Canary Islands in December when quarantine requirements were imposed.

Arriving on a plane more-or-less full of Britons to a hotel full of Britons, he says most people seem determined to make the most of their holiday.

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"I had a lovely lunch, I've got a beer here, the sun is shining. I feel relaxed even though what's happened has completely thrown my plans into disarray," he says.

But he says the fact that thousands of football fans were able to travel to Portugal for the Champions League final on 29 May sent a signal that it was safe for others to make the trip and it was "frustrating" to see that change within a week.

• Travel sector voices dismay over rule changes

Although Portugal is a major tourist destination with about 2.5 million UK visitors before the pandemic, it is not only holiday plans that are being disrupted.

Stephanie Price, from Burnley, has tried five times to visit her family in Portugal after originally booking in 2019, each time being forced to rearrange due to the pandemic.

"I have worked all through lockdown and was looking forward to getting away to see my family," she says.

She says she has had both vaccinations and the virus is "here to stay" so people should not be "confined to misery" without being able to travel.

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Portugal's coronavirus infections are much higher in the north and centre than in southern regions such as the Algarve, she says, and the travel policy should reflect that.

Some people are refusing to let the change to the travel list stop them, however.

One man, who is due to fly from London to Portugal on Saturday to stay in an AirBnB, says he may consider rebooking for another destination - but the need for a negative test in the 72 hours before travel means the options are limited.

Instead, he tells the BBC he is "leaning towards" heading on the Portugal trip anyway "because it is still legal".

"Unless they say, you must not go, you will be fined if you go, we might well still go and just have to bear the additional costs of an extra PCR test and the fact that we have to quarantine," he says.

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2021-06-03 18:36:57Z
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Biden says he is sending 25m vaccine doses to countries ravaged by pandemic - Daily Mail

Biden announces he will distribute 25 million vaccine doses around the world to countries ravaged by the pandemic such as India and neighbors Canada and Mexico

• President Joe Biden announced plan to send 25 million doses around world 
• Almost 19 million COVID-19 shots will go to global COVAX facility 
• That included 6 million doses for Latin America and the Caribbean 
• Another 7 million for South and Southeast Asia and 5 million for Africa 
• Critics said it was too little, too late 
• Biden said aim was not to 'secure favors' but to 'save lives'
• National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said US would retain control of where doses went 

By Rob Crilly, Senior U.S. Political Reporter For Dailymail.Com

Published: 17:35 BST, 3 June 2021 | Updated: 18:57 BST, 3 June 2021

The White House unveiled its plans for sharing unused COVID-19 vaccines with the world, freeing up 25 million shots in the first tranche for countries badly hit by the pandemic such as India and for neighbors Canada and Mexico.

The U.S. has said it will share 80 million doses by the end of June and on Thursday officials said they would retain control of where they go.

The new plan allocates three quarters of unused vaccines for the U.N.-backed COVAX global distribution system, sending some some 6 million to Latin America and the Caribbean, about 7 million to Asia and roughly 5 million to Africa.    

President Joe Biden said the U.S. was not sharing vaccinations to 'secure favors or extract concessions' as his administration announced where the first 25 million unused doses would be sent. The president has committed to sending 80 million doses overseas by the end of June

The plan delivers six million doses to South and Central America, five million to Africa and seven million to Asia, along with another six million that the Biden administration is sending to regional priorities and partners, including United Nations frontline staff

An elderly man with breathing difficulty due to coronavirus takes oxygen with the help of an oxygen mask at a COVID-19 care facility, inside Gurudwara Rakab Ganj (Sikh temple), in New Delhi, India. The country is one of the places singled out for vaccine doses by the White House

Where the first 25 million vaccine doses will be going  

Nearly 19 million will be shared through the global vaccine distribution system COVAX, with the following allocations:

Approximately 6 million for South and Central America to the following countries: Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru, Ecuador, Paraguay, Bolivia, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, Haiti, and other Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries, as well as the Dominican Republic.

Approximately 7 million for Asia to the following countries: India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Maldives, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Laos, Papua New Guinea, Taiwan, and the Pacific Islands.

Approximately 5 million for Africa to be shared with countries that will be selected in coordination with the African Union.

Another 6 million will be targeted toward regional priorities and partner recipients, including Mexico, Canada, and the Republic of Korea, West Bank and Gaza, Ukraine, Kosovo, Haiti, Georgia, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, and Yemen, as well as for United Nations frontline workers.

 

As he made the announcement President Joe Biden said he would not be using the life-saving doses for diplomatic gain.

'We are sharing these doses not to secure favors or extract concessions,' he said.

'We are sharing these vaccines to save lives and to lead the world in bringing an end to the pandemic, with the power of our example and with our values.'

Critics said it was too little, too late and called on the administration to invest in manufacturing sites around the world. 

Developed nations have been accused of monopolizing vaccine production, protecting their own populations at the expense of poorer countries.

The U.S. ranks second only to China for vaccine production but was singled out for keeping almost its entire supply at home.

The result was a world waiting to see how the Biden administration would decide to share its doses.

The vast majority will be distributed by COVAX, a World Health Organization-backed program.

Another six million will go to what the White House described as 'regional priorities' and 'partner recipients' including Mexico, Canada, and the Republic of Korea, West Bank and Gaza, Ukraine, Kosovo, Haiti, Georgia, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, and Yemen, as well as for United Nations frontline workers.

The Biden administration has said 25% of spare doses will be kept in reserve for emergencies.

'As long as this pandemic is raging anywhere in the world, the American people will still be vulnerable,' said Biden said.

'And the United States is committed to bringing the same urgency to international vaccination efforts that we have demonstrated at home.'

In a briefing, said National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the U.S would retain control of where the vaccines went.

U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the U.S. would stay in control of where the doses distributed through COVAX ultimately go

'We're not seeking to extract concessions, we're not extorting, we're not imposing conditions the way that other countries who are providing doses are doing; we're doing none of those things,' he said.  

He added that Gaza had been picked out because of the recent crisis there.

'We're not asking anything of the people of Gaza and West Bank, but we feel that given what they are dealing with, in the situation on the ground there, it is only right and proper and good for the United States to actually allocate some doses to that country,' he said. 

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said via Twitter that he had offered his thanks to Vice President Kamala Harris in a phone call when he was informed that doses were on their way.

'I expressed our appreciation on behalf of the people of Mexico,' he said on Twitter.   

Campaigners demanding more help for poor nations said the announcement was a good step but should be followed with a deeper commitment. 

'The donation of these few doses is welcome but deeply insufficient, and no substitute for a plan of scale and urgency to end the pandemic,' Peter Maybarduk, director of Public Citizen’s Access to Medicines program. 

'The U.S. needs to do more, much more.'

Tom Hart, of the One Campaign, also welcomed the news but said the U.S. should accelerate plans to distribute AstraZeneca doses that have not yet been licensed by Washington.

'However, it’s disappointing to see delays in donating the 60 million AstraZeneca doses – which have been approved for emergency use by the World Health Organization and will go unused otherwise,' he said.

Biden announced in April that the U.S. would send the AstraZeneca vaccines overseas by July 4. However, problems at a manufacturing plant have delayed production. 

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2021-06-03 16:35:26Z
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Late-night drama of Israel coalition talks designed to oust Netanyahu - Financial Times

The quick snapshot, taken on a parliamentary aide’s mobile phone, belies the drama behind an epochal moment in Israeli politics.

To the left, the former TV anchor Yair Lapid, 57, and leader of a centrist party that came second in Israel’s elections in March, perfectly coiffed despite weeks of frantic negotiations that he has spearheaded.

In the middle is Naftali Bennett, 49, an ultra nationalist rightwinger whose party has just six seats out of 120 in the Israeli parliament and who is poised to become prime minister.

And to the right the man analysts call the “star of the story”, 47-year old Mansour Abbas, the leader of an Islamist party for Israel’s Muslim minority, a genial smile on his face as he prepares to make history. His Arab party is the first in Israeli history to join a Zionist government.

With his final signature on a coalition deal, the three men pushed prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the man who has towered over Israel and the Middle East for decades, one step closer to his political demise. “You could feel it in the room, this tension — and then the relief,” said a person who watched the men sign just before midnight on Wednesday. “Unforgettable.”

The unlikely trio, backed by 61 members of parliament, will try within the week to pass a vote in parliament that would dethrone Netanyahu, 71, from his 12-year reign as Israeli premier.

The vote would make Bennett, an ultra nationalist who once described the Palestinian issue as “shrapnel in the butt”, and has had to deny leaked comments from a cabinet meeting that as an army commando “he had killed a lot of Arabs”, the first religious Jew to hold the prime minister’s office.

“The irony of such an ostensibly rightwing, hawkish politician leading a government that has centrists, left-wingers and even Arabs in it is pretty strong,” said Anshel Pfeffer, author of Bibi: The Turbulent Life and Times of Benjamin Netanyahu. “It shows you two things — the need felt by so many politicians to replace Netanyahu has become such a burning motivator, but also that Bennett is lot more pragmatic than his quotes would suggest.”

It is not clear yet that they will succeed or, if they do, how long they can hold the coalition together, or what such a disparate group can achieve. If they fail, the country faces a fifth election in two years, after the previous four failed to deliver a clear result.

If the vote passes, Netanyahu, a divisive leader who has split the Israeli public, will end up in opposition while simultaneously in the defendant’s chair for his ongoing trial for corruption. He denies all charges.

The photograph of the three men was on the front of nearly every newspaper — for those in the pro-Netanyahu camp, such as the ultraorthodox Jewish minority, one headline read “Faces of Shame”. One headline on Thursday morning read “Torch Bearer”, a play on Lapid’s surname, and a nod to his parliamentary agility — corralling eight parties into a single bloc, while sacrificing his own goals of becoming prime minister to convince Bennett to play ball. If the coalition holds, Lapid will become prime minister in two years’ time.

After a month of talks, interrupted by a two-week conflict with Palestinian militants Hamas that briefly scuppered all hope of a deal, Lapid called the Israeli president, Reuven Rivlin, just 38 minutes before Wednesday’s midnight deadline.

The president was at a football match in Jaffa, the mixed Arab-Jewish neighbourhood that had just two weeks ago been gripped by some of the worst communal violence in the country’s history. Get a vote scheduled and get it done quick, the president told Lapid, according to two people privy to the call.

The urgency is in part because Netanyahu has already begun to attack what he calls a “dangerous leftwing government”, painting the concessions made for Abbas’s support as a betrayal of Zionism.

“There is no overstating the historic breakthrough of having an Arab party helping to form a government in Israel — all the more important because the partnership is with a far-rightwing party,” said Dahlia Scheindlin, a pollster and adviser to Israeli parties who has worked on eight previous campaigns.

Abbas broke from the other parties that represent the Palestinian citizens of Israel, a fifth of the population, to leverage a role as tiebreaker. “Abbas really is the star of the story,” said Roni Rimon, a veteran political strategist who has worked with Netanyahu “And now, he has no choice but to make this work — if it doesn’t, he is also finished.”

Abbas’s demands, unchanged since Ra’am’s four seats in March elections left it kingmaker, were two-fold — that his party would be treated with respect, and his support would be rewarded with material benefits for Israel’s Muslim communities.

Those gains, negotiated with Lapid and Bennett until the last minute while Netanyahu kept calling his phone, include as much as $1.5bn a year for the Arab-dominated north and the official recognition of Bedouin villages in the Negev desert to stop their demolition.

Bennett “sold out the Negev to Ra’am”, Netanyahu said on Twitter on Thursday, before holding an emergency meeting with his allies to try to block the coalition.

Meanwhile, Lapid moved swiftly to vote in a new speaker of the Knesset — the current speaker, an ally of Netanyahu’s, could delay the vote until about mid-June. If successful, the vote — and an end to the drama — could be as early as Monday.

“The Israeli public is craving to see something that reflects partnership, a willingness to compromise, maturity and unity — in the past these were slogans, but now there is a desperate need for them,” Scheindlin said.

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2021-06-03 16:03:23Z
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Roman Protasevich: Dissident Belarusian journalist claims he was 'set up' by associate after plane arrest - Sky News

A dissident journalist, held in custody in Belarus after being arrested when his Ryanair flight was diverted, has claimed in a new video that he was set up by an unidentified associate.

Roman Protasevich, 26, made his comments from prison during an hour-long TV programme on the Belarusian state-controlled ONT channel.

He was detained by authorities on 23 May after the plane travelling from Athens, Greece, to Vilnius, Lithuania, was diverted to Minsk by Belarusian flight controllers who cited a bomb threat.

No bomb was found on board after the landing, but he and his Russian girlfriend Sofia Sapega were arrested.

Image: Roman Protasevich was on a flight to Lithuania before it was diverted to Minsk

The programme claimed Belarusian authorities were unaware he was on board when the plane was ordered to land in the capital.

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Mr Protasevich said he had put a notice about his travel plans during a chat with associates 40 minutes before his departure.

He alleged that the bomb threat could have been issued by someone with whom he had a personal conflict.

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Mr Protasevich accused the associate - who he didn't name - of having links with opposition-leaning hackers who have attacked Belarusian official websites and issued bomb threats in the past.

"The first thing I thought was that I have been set up," he said.

"When the plane was on a landing path, I realised that it's useless to panic," Mr Protasevich said.

One of Mr Protasevich's associates said the dissident was clearly speaking under duress.

The journalist said that once the plane taxied to a parking spot, he described seeing heavily-armed special forces waiting.

Image: Mr Protasevich and girlfriend Sofia Sapega have both appeared in detention videos after their arrests in May

"It was a dedicated SWAT unit - uniforms, flak jackets and weapons," he said.

Speaking in the ONT film, Mr Protasevich acknowledged the anti-government protests have fizzled out but argued that the opposition should wait until economic problems lead to broad public discontent.

"We need to wait until the economic situation worsens and people take to the street for a mug of soup, to put it bluntly," he said.

The journalist is shown saying that demonstrations against authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko are now pointless amid a tough crackdown.

Image: Mr Protasevich being detained by police in Belarus in 2017 during a protest

He suggested that the opposition waits for a more opportune moment.

The Ryanair flight's diversion last month outraged the European Union, which barred the Belarusian flag carrier from its skies.

European carriers were also told to avoid Belarusian airspace and drafted new sanctions against key sectors of the Belarusian economy.

Mr Lukashenko has ruled the ex-Soviet nation with an iron fist for more than a quarter of a century and accused the West of trying to "strangle" Belarus.

Mr Protasevich left Belarus in 2019 and has become a leading opponent of Mr Lukashenko.

He ran a popular channel on the Telegram messaging app that played a key role in organising anti-government protests.

He was charged with inciting mass disturbances - accusations that could lead to a 15-year prison sentence.

A day after his arrest, Mr Protasevich said he was confessing to staging mass disturbances in a video from the detention centre.

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His parents, who now live in Poland, said the confession seemed to be coerced.

In the ONT film, Mr Protasevich said he tried to stay away from his girlfriend after the landing, hoping that the authorities wouldn't arrest her.

Sofia Sapega didn't feature in the new TV programme, but she was shown in a video from prison last week, confessing to running a channel that revealed personal data about Belarusian security officers.

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2021-06-03 15:11:37Z
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COVID-19: Cancellations, refunds and quarantines - what to do if you have a holiday to Portugal booked - Sky News

Portugal has moved from the UK's travel green list to its amber list - but what happens now for those who've booked a holiday there?

And with no further countries being moved from amber to green in a review of the government's traffic light system, we take a look at the options available to anyone still desperate for a summer break.

Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about travel this summer, and what changes to restrictions mean for your holidays.

If my holiday destination is moved from the green list to the amber list, am I still allowed to travel?

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Yes, you are still allowed to travel to that destination, but you will have to quarantine at home for 10 days upon your return to the UK, and pay for two COVID-19 tests.

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Will my package holiday be automatically cancelled if the destination is moved from green to amber?

No, not necessarily. Even if the Department for Transport decides that a country should be placed in a different risk category, a tour operator will only be forced to cancel your holiday if the Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to that destination. In that case, you will be fully refunded within two weeks.

If the Foreign Office doesn't advise against travel but you don't feel comfortable going, then speak to your tour operator. They should allow you to postpone your trip.

Will I get a refund from my airline if I have booked tickets independently?

No, you're not entitled to a refund if your destination is moved from green to amber and you have booked your flights independently.

Fortunately, most airlines are offering customers the ability to change the dates of their flights if their destination gets moved to amber, although you may have to pay a fee to do so.

What happens if my destination has been moved from amber to red before I travel?

All trips to red list countries will be cancelled immediately, with a full refund given for package holidays.

If I am on holiday in a country that is about to be added to the amber list, should I try to fly back early?

If you have booked your flights independently, you may be able to fly back earlier to avoid quarantining. If you are booked on a package holiday, it is unlikely you will be able to change your flights.

If I am in an amber list country, and it gets moved to a red list country, what happens?

If you are a British citizen or a resident of the UK, you will be able to return home but you will have to quarantine in a hotel for 10 days, costing you £1,750.

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2021-06-03 13:52:30Z
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Holiday hopes hit as no new countries added to UK's green travel list - and Portugal moved to amber - Sky News

Hopes of a summer holiday abroad have been dashed, with no new countries added to the UK's green travel list and Portugal moved to amber.

No further countries are being moved from the amber to green status in a review of the government's travel traffic light system, Sky News understands.

There were hopes some Greek and Spanish islands, and Malta could have been added to the green list in the first review of the system since it came into play three weeks ago.

Portugal was the only major holiday destination on the 12 country green list, meaning tourists could return to the UK without having to quarantine.

People arriving in the UK from amber list countries have to take two post-arrival tests on day two and day eight after arriving and self-isolate at home for 10 days, although they can reduce that time if they take an additional negative test on day five.

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Those returning from green locations are not required to self-isolate but they must take one post-arrival coronavirus test.

Ahead of the list announcement, health secretary Matt Hancock warned: "We have got to follow the data and of course, I understand why people want to travel but we've got to make sure we keep this country safe, especially because the vaccine programme is going so well.

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"We have seen hospitalisations and deaths come right down and we have to got to protect the progress we have made here at home, whilst allowing for travel where it is safe.

"You have got to follow the data."

On Wednesday, Boris Johnson said the government will have "no hesitation" in moving countries off the green list if necessary.

Each country is assessed based on a range of factors, including what proportion of a population is vaccinated, rates of infection, emerging new variants, and access to reliable scientific data and genomic sequencing.

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2021-06-03 12:56:15Z
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Netanyahu foes push for quick vote to end his 12-year rule - Al Jazeera English

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s opponents pushed on Thursday for a quick vote to end his record-setting rule, racing to head off what is expected to be a frantic effort by the premier and his allies to derail the newly announced coalition.

The new phase of political warfare began just hours after opposition leader Yair Lapid and his main coalition partner Naftali Bennett – an ideological odd couple – declared late on Wednesday night they reached a deal to form a new government.

The announcement triggered a complex process likely to stretch over the next week, giving Netanyahu time to try to pressure coalition members ideologically aligned with him to quit the group.

With the threat of possible jail time hanging over him in his ongoing trial on corruption charges, the 71-year-old is unlikely to allow his record 12 straight years to end without a messy fight, analysts warned.

On Thursday, the master political operator was already on Twitter seeking to play on any last-minute misgivings among right-wing lawmakers about allying with the left against him.

“All lawmakers who were elected with votes from the right must oppose this dangerous left-wing government,” Netanyahu said.

Should last-minute defections scupper the “change” alliance, Israel would likely have to hold yet another election, the fifth in just over two years.

“Opening the champagne right now is a bit hasty,” said Tamar Hermann, a political scientist at the Israel Democracy Institute.

‘Betraying right-wing values’

The question is whether the coalition of 61 votes would hold together through a vote of the 120-member Knesset – and who would preside over that vote?

Netanyahu has accused the former allies who joined the incoming coalition of betraying right-wing values. His supporters have demonstrated and launched vicious social media campaigns, repeating the message Netanyahu has been sending over the past week as the new coalition coalesced.

One factor working in Netanyahu’s favour: the parliament speaker is an ally who could use his position to delay the vote and give Netanyahu more time to sabotage the coalition.

The prime minister and his allies called a meeting later Thursday to plot their next steps, and it was unclear whether his opponents could name a new parliament speaker to preside over a Knesset vote required to confirm the new government.

If it goes through, Lapid and a diverse array of partners that span the Israeli political spectrum will end Netanyahu’s record-setting, divisive 12-year rule.

Under the agreement, Lapid and Bennett will split the job of prime minister in a rotation. Bennett, a former ally of Netanyahu, is to serve the first two years, while Lapid is to serve the final two years – though it is far from certain their fragile coalition will last that long.

Historic deal

The historic deal also includes the small United Arab List, which would make it the first party of Palestinian citizens of Israel ever to be part of a governing coalition in Israel.

United Arab List’s leader Mansour Abbas, 47, has cast aside differences with prime minister-hopeful Bennett, an advocate of annexing most of the occupied West Bank.

A dentist by profession, Abbas said he hopes to improve conditions for Arab citizens who complain of discrimination and government neglect.

“We decided to join the government in order to change the balance of political forces in the country,” he said in a message to supporters after signing the coalition agreement.

Abbas’s party said the agreement includes the allocation of more than 53 billion shekels ($16bn) to improve infrastructure and combat violent crime in Arab towns.

It also includes provisions freezing demolition of homes built without permits in Arab villages and granting official status to Bedouin towns in the Negev desert, a stronghold for support, the party said.

“I say here clearly and frankly: when the very establishment of this government is based on our support … we will be able to influence it and accomplish great things for our Arab society,” Abbas said.

On Twitter, Netanyahu – who once drew accusations of racism by urging his supporters to get out and vote because “Arabs are flocking to the polls in droves” – highlighted the new alliance’s links with Abbas.

Netanyahu posted an old video clip of Bennett saying Abbas “visited terrorist murderers in jail” after a 1992 attack in which Arab citizens of Israel killed three soldiers.

A spokesman for the United Arab List did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

‘Low-hanging fruit’

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. If he fails, he will be pushed into the opposition.

Political analysts widely expected Netanyahu to try to pick off what one described as “low-hanging fruit”, seizing upon members of Yamina – Bennett’s party – who are unhappy about joining forces with Palestinian and left-wing lawmakers.

Tamar Zandberg, a Meretz legislator, acknowledged the difficulties in getting the alliance her party joined off the ground.

“The coalition’s test … is to be sworn in. That won’t be without rough patches and problems,” she said on Army Radio on Thursday.

Netanyahu, who has yet to respond to Lapid’s announcement, controls 30 seats in the 120-member Knesset, almost twice as many as Lapid’s Yesh Atid party, and he is allied with at least three other religious and nationalist parties.

A source involved in the coalition talks said the proposed new government will try to retain consensus by avoiding hot-button ideological issues such as whether to annex or cede occupied West Bank territory that Palestinians want for a state.

Bennet has said the creation of an independent Palestine would be suicide for Israel. He made annexation of parts of the territory Israel captured in the 1967 war a major feature of his political platform, but following through on that with the broad new coalition looks to be politically unfeasible.

And any renewed violence in the Gaza Strip, after a ceasefire ended 11 days of Israel intensively bombing the besieged enclave in retaliation for rocket fire from there, could shake the broad alliance.

Naftali Bennett, left, and Yair Lapid are the leading figures in the new coalition [Ammar Awad/Amir Cohen/Reuters]

‘Return sanity’

During his tenure as prime minister, Netanyahu has often been a polarising figure at home and abroad.

He has said a Bennett-Lapid coalition would endanger Israel’s security – an allusion to efforts to curb Iran’s nuclear programme and managing the Palestinian issue.

Lapid, a centrist who campaigned under a pledge to “return sanity” to Israel, was given the task of forming a government after Netanyahu failed to do so in the wake of an inconclusive March election.

Netanyahu’s rivals have cited the criminal charges against him as the main reason why Israel needs a new leader, arguing he might use a new term to legislate immunity to shield himself.

“This government … will respect its opponents and do all it can to unite and connect all parts of Israeli society,” Lapid said on Twitter.

The new government, if it is sworn in, will face considerable challenges. As well as Iran and the moribund peace process with the Palestinians, it also faces a war crimes probe by the International Criminal Court and economic recovery following the coronavirus pandemic.

Bennett has said its members would have to compromise on such ideological issues in order to get the country back on track.

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2021-06-03 11:04:05Z
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