Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to serve all Israelis after being confirmed for his fifth term Wednesday, likely cementing his legacy as the country's longest serving prime minister and leader of the most extreme right-wing government in the country's history.
“I will work for all Israelis," he said in a short statement. "Those who voted for me and those who did not."
While both Mr Netanyahu and his main competitor, the newly-formed Blue and White party, gained 35 seats in last week's election, only Mr Netanyahu secured a majority support from other parties to form a ruling coalition.
Mr Netanyahu's short term future is now secured. But hanging over his fifth term is a looming indictment by Israel's Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit on charges of bribery, breach of trust, and fraud connected to three cases. Mr Netanyahu will also have to balance ideological divides within the right between secular and religious parties, all while facing pressure from competitors to fulfill campaign pledges, such as his last minute bid for votes in exchange for annexing the West Bank if re-elected. In addition, the Trump administration continues to claim it will propose a new American peace plan for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the contents of which remain unknown.
Per Israel's election laws, Israel's President Reuven Rivlin met Monday and Tuesday with parties elected to the 21st Knesset, or Israeli parliament, to determine who to recommend to head Israel's 35th government. By the end of Mr Rivlin's consultations Tuesday, Mr Netanyahu had officially secured 65 recommendations, putting him over the needed 62 seats for a majority in the 120-seat parliament. Forty-five members of the Knesset recommended Blue and White leader Benny Gantz, cementing their place in the opposition. The ten Knesset members elected from Arab-majority parties declined to request any leader.
The meetings, though, are largely a formality. Mr Gantz had already announced his defeat last Wednesday as it became clear that Mr Netanyahu had secured enough support from other right-wing parties to cobble together a ruling coalition.
In order to enter the Knesset, a party must receive at last 3.25 per cent of the overall votes, or a minimum of four seats. Mr Netanyahu's likely coalition will be comprised of his Likud party, the Ultra-Orthodox Shas party and United Torah Judaism party, which each won eight seats, the Union of Right Wing Parties and Jewish Home party, each with five seats, and Kulanu, which gained four seats.
Noticeably absent from the room is the New Right Party, led by Netanyahu competitors Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked. Bennett and Shaked split from the Jewish Home party over ideological differences and to form their own party to take on Mr Netanyahu from the right. Ultimately, however, they failed to pass the threshold of votes needed to enter the Knesset.
The Central Elections Committee published final election results Tuesday night. Mr Netanyahu will be formally sworn in on April 30.
Mr Netanyahu served his first term as Prime Minister from 1996 to 1999. He won his next election in 2009 and has been re-elected three times since.
At his swearing in 2009, Mr Netanyahu did not mention a two-state solution, which he has long opposed, but told the Palestinian leadership "if you really want peace, we can achieve peace."
This time around his language has been far from conciliatory: his campaign repeatedly lambasted his opponents, left-leaning Israelis, and Arab and Palestinian citizens of Israel.
Still, the exact makeup of his government, such as who will head which ministry, remains to be seen. In a last minute re-election bid, Mr Netanyahu pushed through a coalition of three extreme-right and fringe parties, including Jewish Power, a Jewish supremacy party and offshoot of designated terrorist Meir Kahane. Mr Netanyahu reportedly offered two ministries to leaders of the two other parties in exchange for aligning with Jewish Power, though it's unclear if he will follow through on that promise.
Mr Netanyahu has also reportedly been in talks with his coalition about pushing through a law providing him legal immunity from persecution while prime minister.
If Mr Netanyahu remains in the role after July 16, he will succeed David Ben-Gurion as the longest serving prime minister in Israel's history.
Full list of Emmy 2020 nominations
LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Anthony Anderson, Black-ish
Don Cheadle, Black Monday
Ted Danson, The Good Place
Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method
Eugene Levy, Schitt’s Creek
Ramy Youssef, Ramy
LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Christina Applegate, Dead to Me
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Linda Cardellini, Dead to Me
Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek
Issa Rae, Insecure
Tracee Ellis Ross, Black-ish
OUTSTANDING VARIETY/TALK SERIES
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Jason Bateman, Ozark
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Steve Carell, The Morning Show
Brian Cox, Succession
Billy Porter, Pose
Jeremy Strong, Succession
LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show
Olivia Colman, The Crown
Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
Laura Linney, Ozark
Sandra Oh, Killing Eve
Zendaya, Euphoria
OUTSTANDING REALITY/COMPETITION PROGRAM
The Masked Singer
Nailed It!
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Top Chef
The Voice
LEAD ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES/TV MOVIE
Jeremy Irons, Watchmen
Hugh Jackman, Bad Education
Paul Mescal, Normal People
Jeremy Pope, Hollywood
Mark Ruffalo, I Know This Much Is True
LEAD ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES/TV MOVIE
Cate Blanchett, Mrs. America
Shira Haas, Unorthodox
Regina King, Watchmen
Octavia Spencer, Self Made
Kerry Washington, Little Fires Everywhere
OUTSTANDING LIMITED SERIES
Little Fires Everywhere
Mrs. America
Unbelievable
Unorthodox
Watchmen
OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Dead to Me
The Good Place
Insecure
The Kominsky Method
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Schitt’s Creek
What We Do In The Shadows
OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
Better Call Saul
The Crown
The Handmaid’s Tale
Killing Eve
The Mandalorian
Ozark
Stranger Things
Succession
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Wallabies
Updated team: 15-Israel Folau, 14-Dane Haylett-Petty, 13-Reece Hodge, 12-Matt Toomua, 11-Marika Koroibete, 10-Kurtley Beale, 9-Will Genia, 8-Pete Samu, 7-Michael Hooper (captain), 6-Lukhan Tui, 5-Adam Coleman, 4-Rory Arnold, 3-Allan Alaalatoa, 2-Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1-Scott Sio.
Replacements: 16-Folau Faingaa, 17-Tom Robertson, 18-Taniela Tupou, 19-Izack Rodda, 20-Ned Hanigan, 21-Joe Powell, 22-Bernard Foley, 23-Jack Maddocks.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
MATCH INFO
Europa League semi-final, second leg
Atletico Madrid (1) v Arsenal (1)
Where: Wanda Metropolitano
When: Thursday, May 3
Live: On BeIN Sports HD
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
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How it works
1) The liquid nanoclay is a mixture of water and clay that aims to convert desert land to fertile ground
2) Instead of water draining straight through the sand, it apparently helps the soil retain water
3) One application is said to last five years
4) The cost of treatment per hectare (2.4 acres) of desert varies from $7,000 to $10,000 per hectare
MATCH INFO
Newcastle United 1 (Carroll 82')
Leicester City 2 (Maddison 55', Tielemans 72')
Man of the match James Maddison (Leicester)
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