Unlike what had been expected, Knesset speaker Yariv Levin did not announce at the start of Monday’s meeting of the Knesset plenum when the new government would be brought to a vote of confidence and be sworn in.
Levin merely announced – as he had to by law – that Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid had formed a government. Lapid walked out of the plenum looking confused after Levin only said he would announce the day for the vote and the swearing-in “later.”
Likud sources said Levin has not yet decided when the new government’s swearing-in will take place or when he will announce when the new government’s swearing-in will take place. They said he would announce it enough time in advance in order to be “fair,” even though legally he does not have to announce it any particular time in advance.
The sources said Levin would most likely announce on Tuesday when the vote would be held. They denied a report that Levin had decided to hold the vote next Monday, the last possible date permitted by law.
Coalition agreements must be submitted only 24 hours ahead of the vote.
Incoming-Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Sunday that he wanted the vote to be held on Wednesday. Lapid added on Monday that delaying the vote to next week would be wrong.
“There is no reason in the world, legal or otherwise, that a government won’t be sworn in in two days except to put pressure,” Lapid said. “That is not proper.”
Answering a question from The Jerusalem Post, Lapid said he would not threaten a lawsuit.
Lapid expressed confidence in the longevity of the new government, in which he is set to become prime minister in August 2023.
“This government will be good and it will last because it is based on the right things – on trust, on decency, on goodwill,” he said. “This government will be formed and will last because we’ve come to work, on education, on healthcare, on the economy, on the real challenges facing Israel. It will be a government that chooses good.”
New Hope leader Gideon Sa’ar accused outgoing-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “trying to maintain a grip on power at any price.”