PM Modi congratulates Benjamin Netanyahu on being sworn as Israel PM
Dec 29, 2022
New Delhi [India], December 29 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Benjamin Netanyahu on being sworn in as the Prime Minister of Israel on Thursday and said he looks forward to working to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries.
Netanyahu, 73 was sworn in as Israel's PM hoping to deliver political stability after five general elections since 2019, The Times of Israel reported.
He took the oath after Israel's parliament, or Knesset, passed a vote of confidence in his new government. Out of the 120 members, 63 voted in favour of the new government.
"Heartiest congratulations Netanyahu for forming the government. Looking forward to working together to strengthen our strategic partnership," PM Modi tweeted.
Back in November, the Prime Minister congratulated Netanyahu on his victory in the Israeli general elections. "Mazel Tov my friend @netanyahu for your electoral success. I look forward to continuing our joint efforts to deepen the India-Israel strategic partnership," PM Modi had said in an earlier tweet.
The Israeli newspaper said Netanyahu is Israel's longest-serving prime minister. The report added this will be his sixth government, and by allying far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties to his right-wing Likud, it will be his and the "country's most hardline to date."
The year witnessed Benjamin Netanyahu's stunning political comeback whose election victory was backed by an alliance with right-wing parties.
Israel held the fifth parliamentary election in fewer than four years on November 1. Netanyahu and his right-wing bloc won 64 of the 120 seats in the parliament to defeat the center-left bloc which ousted Netanyahu in June last year.
Netanyahu said earlier this month that he had successfully formed a new coalition government after intensive negotiations with his right-wing and religious partners.
The Israeli media said Netanyahu's new coalition is the most rightist government ever in Israel, which could put him on a collision course with many players in the international community, including the US.
Despite Netanyahu's election victory, he faces many hurdles and pitfalls that ensue from working with his far-right and religious partners, including Itamar Ben-Gvir, the ultranationalist leader of the Jewish Power party, Xinhua news agency reported.
In the process of forming a new coalition government, Netanyahu already stirred up a political controversy with a string of contentious new laws and appointments, the report added.
