Netanyahu vows to strengthen India-Israel friendship

Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to strengthen the important bilateral partnership with India after being sworn in as Israel's Prime Minister for a record fifth time late Sunday.

Responding to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's congratulatory message, Netanyahu said: "Thank you my dear friend the Prime Minister of India! We will continue to strengthen the important relationship between us."

Modi had tweeted yesterday in Hebrew and English, wishing success for Netanyahu government. "Mazal Tov (congratulations) my friend @netanyahu for forming your fifth government in Israel. I wish you and @gantzbe (Benny Gantz) success and look forward to continue working closely with your government to further strengthen India-Israel strategic partnership," he had said.

On Sunday night, the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) voted 73-46 in favor of the new coalition government agreed, bringing an end to a 508-day political impasse.

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Chairman of the Blue and White Party and Netanyahu’s former rival, Benny Gantz Gantz, was sworn in as "alternate Prime Minister and future Prime Minister" as well as Defence Minister.

Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving leader who was first elected as Prime Minister in 1996 and has served three consecutive terms since 2009, promised to hand over the premiership to Gantz on November 17, 2021.

"We established the precise terms under which our agreement will be fulfilled and will not be fulfilled," Netanyahu said later in an interview, amid widespread skepticism that he will honor the deal.

"I will fulfill exactly, but exactly, what is written in the agreement. It is my intention and my goal to do so. And there is no reason for me to say anything to you but, yes, that's what we will do."

Speaking at the cabinet's first meeting, which took place immediately after the swearing-in ceremony, Netanyahu told the new Ministers that the Covid-19 pandemic topped the government's agenda.

The second mission would be to pass a state budget and revive the economy, while the third item would be to combat Iran, he said.

The fourth was fighting the war crimes probe in the International Criminal Court and the fifth was the diplomatic issue of West Bank annexation.

Gantz spoke after Netanyahu, saying Israel was ending the "worst political crisis in its history" and calling for an end to "the era of incitement" and the start of an "era of reconciliation".

He said he would do everything so that all Israeli citizens—Jewish or Arab, heterosexual or LGBT—would "feel at home.".