- My, what a weekend we have had!
It's now a done deal.
Benjamin Netanyahu is out after 12 years
as Israel's prime minister.
So who's in power now?
And what can this new coalition do for us?
And why is Netanyahuvowing to return to power?
Chris Mitchell has more.
- [Chris] Today the new government posed
for the traditional picture
with Israeli president Reuven Rivlin.
On Sunday night by theslimmest of margins, 60 to 59,
the Knesset approved thenew coalition government.
During his speech, incomingPrime Minister Naftali Bennett
was heckled constantly bymembers of the opposition,
but Bennett who was once Netanyahu's ally,
and now rival, recognized his former boss.
(speaking in a foreign language)
- Thank you Benjamin Netanyahufor many years of service
and lots of achievements for Israel.
As Prime Minister, you workedfor many years with devotion
and to our political and defensive power.
- [Chris] Netanyahu now servesas leader of the opposition
and cited how his governmentshave transformed Israel.
(speaking in a foreign language)
- And if it is destined forus to be in the opposition,
we will do it with our backs straight,
until we topple this dangerous government
and return to lead the country in our way.
- [Chris] Netanyahu questioned
if Bennett would be willing to disagree
with US President Biden,and vowed he would be back.
Bennett now leads a checkerboard coalition of eight parties
representing left, center, right,
and for the first time,an Arab Islamic party.
- Well, it's true that this government
has a very difficult path ahead of it,
a narrow parliamentary majority,
a very heterogeneous government
and in this respect,
it would be challengingto keep it together.
- [Chris] Right after the vote,
the new government heldits first cabinet meeting.
It faces daunting challenges at home
and threats outside its borders.
Still, earlier this year,Bennett told CBN News
he was up to the job.
- I'm ready to take that responsibility.
As former defense minister,
former entrepreneur and CEO of companies,
I think I've got what's necessary
to pull Israel out of this hole
and sort of go to the next phase of Israel
as the startup nation.
- [Chris] While president JoeBiden congratulated Bennet,
differences between the two allies
on the Iranian nuclear dealmay test the new government.
(speaking in a foreign language)
- The renewal of thenuclear agreement with Iran
is a mistake,
a mistake that will give legitimacy again,
to one of the darkest and mostviolent regimes in the world.
Israel will not let Iran armitself with a nuclear weapon.
Israel is not part of the deal,
and will continue to maintainfull freedom of action.
- [Chris] After four elections
and more than two yearsof political paralysis,
it remains to be seenif this new government
will provide the stabilitymany Israelis are hoping for.
- Well, Chris joins us now from Jerusalem.
Chris you've interviewedIsrael's new prime minister,
tell us more about him.
- Well, Pat, we learnedwhen we interviewed him
just a couple of months agobefore the last election,
he's a religious man,
he's probably the first Israeli leader,
I think in modern historythat wears a kippah.
And some people say he'sthe first religious leader
since temple times,
he served in an elite special forces unit.
He fought in the 2006 Second Lebanon War,
the one we were up onthe Northern border Pat.
He's made millions as an entrepreneur,
and in his speech, he wantsto bring Israelis together,
he wants to propose aliyah,
he says he wants to have anew page with Israeli Arabs,
and certainly that's partof the coalition they have,
for the first time an Israeli Arab party.
But he faces such a tough challenge, Pat.
I mean, to be leading Israel
and keeping this coalition together,
parties from the left, center,right and the Arab Party.
They've succeeded in ousting Netanyahu,
that was the ideological glueholding them all together.
But the question is
can they agree on how to govern together?
They'll be tested right away.
- This man Lapid, he is second in command,
he's gonna be minister of foreign affairs.
Tell us about him.
- Well Lapid is a, a sort ofa center left politician here.
He's a former journalist,
and really his father wasactually part of Shinui,
which is a political party years ago
that was really anti-religious,anti Ultra-Orthodox.
I think he's really sort of the power
behind Bennett right now,
he was the one that was ableto put this coalition together.
And so he's really gonna beprime minister in two years,
if this government can last,
but they're facing hugegeopolitical issues, Pat.
They're facing Iran,
Bennet addressed that in hisspeech as we had in our report
and they're unified on Irannot getting the nuclear weapon,
but the question is,
and that's the questionthat Netanyahu raised,
can they stand up to theBiden administration?
That's gonna be an issue,
a divisive issue about Iranand the Palestinian Authority.
And so, I was talking
to a former leading Israelidiplomat earlier today, Pat
he said that Israel may need to be firmer
with their super power ally,
and we'll see how they be able to do that.
- Chris the last question,
what about this Palestinian state?
I'm sure that Naftali Bennettdoesn't want such a thing.
What is the posture ofthis new government?
- Well, that's one thing that divides
some of the government.
Bennett certainly doesn'twant a two-state solution,
there are the members ofhis party like the far left
or the Meretz Party, they dowant a two-state solution.
So that's one key issue,
what's gonna happen when this government
has to make a decision.
For example, in the budget Pat,
they have certainly allocating funds
for roads in Judea and Sumeria,
will that be part of the budget?
That's one of the questions.
And I just wanted to add Pat,
you know last week I was at the Knesset,
I was part of theJerusalem Prayer Breakfast,
it was hosted actually bya member in Bennet's party,
his name is Matan Kahana.
And so what I was able to,
I was actually asked to speak,
so I read from Aliyah speech in 2004,
and in that speech in 1974,
you had interviewed Yitzhak Rabin
and that's where he pledged,
he asked that the UnitedStates would be strong,
and that's when you pledged that night
on the Mount of Olives,
that you would stand withIsrael, no matter what,
and they felt alonethen, they feel alone now
and that's why your support for Israel
is so critical at this time,
and also for people to be praying
for the peace of Jerusalem.
- Chris, great story, thank you so much.
Well, in other news president Biden
is meeting with economic andmilitary allies in Europe.
So how will he handleRussia's president Putin
and is Biden coming froma place of weakness?
Efrem Graham has more.
- Pat, president Bidengathering with NATO leaders
in Brussels today wherechallenges from Russia and China
are taking center stage.
The Alliance expected tolabel China a security risk
due to its cyber attacksand naval expansion.
This all comes after theweekend G7 summit in England,
where leaders from theworld's strongest economies
condemned China's human rights abuses.
The NATO nations willreaffirm its central tenet
an attack on one memberis an attack on all,
and consider expanding thatto include cyber attacks.
That's a major topic inthe upcoming summit between
Biden and Russia'spresident Vladimir Putin
after attacks by Russia-based cyber gangs
targeted America's fuel and meat supplies.
Both leaders agree US and Russia relations
are at historic lows.
Recently, Putin responded to a question
about president Bidenreferring to him as a killer.
- When president Biden was asked
whether he believes you are a killer,
he said, I do.
Mr. President, are you a killer?
(speaking in a foreign language)
- Over my tenure, I'vegotten used to attacks
from all kinds of angles,and from all kinds of areas,
under all kinds of pretext and reasons
that have differentcaliber and fierceness,
and none of it surprises me.
- President Biden and Putinmeet in Geneva on Wednesday.
As president Biden headsinto that crucial summit,
critics of the administration say
its policies are projectinga perception of weakness
to America's enemies.
Dale Hurd has more.
- [Dale] At the G7, Joe Biden announced
America is back as a world leader,
but some believe hisadministration's policies
are making the world more dangerous.
Biden entered the White House,
set to ride a post COVID economic boom
and correct what Democrats consider
Donald Trump's reckless foreign policy.
But after a series ofsetbacks at home and abroad,
Biden has been dubbedthe master of disaster
who is taking America back tothe dark days of Jimmy Carter.
High gasoline prices andinflation have returned at home.
But critics say far more problematic
is the perception among our enemies abroad
that America is weak again.
As Joe Biden makes good on his promise
to roll back DonaldTrump's foreign policy,
it certainly doesn't feelas if it has made America
or the world safer.
North Korea greeted thenew administration in March
by firing missiles into the Sea of Japan.
The White House response wasbasically, don't do that again.
That same month,
China mocked and humiliatedthe US delegation at a summit
held on US soil.
The White House has decidedto reopen talks with Tehran
over the Iran nuclear deal
and even lifted some economic sanctions
which some experts say
will increase the chances of a future war
between Iran and Israel.
And it resumed hundreds ofmillions of dollars in US aid
to the Palestinians,
one month before Hamasfired rockets into Israel.
- And every one of those rockets
might as well have Joe Biden's name
written on the side of itbecause it is his weakness,
his appeasement, his moralrelativism, and ambiguity,
his lack of backbone to standup and stand with Israel
that is causing thiswar in the Middle East.
- Frank Gaffney was anUndersecretary of Defense
in the Reagan administration,
which had to rebuildAmerica's foreign policy
after the disastrous Jimmy Carter era
- I would describe Joe Biden'sforeign policy as basically,
Barack Obama's on steroids.
I mean, think about this,
a little over a hundred days ago
Israel was in a totally differentposition than it is now.
And that's a hundred percent
because of the Bidenforeign policy mistakes.
- [Dale] The White House has also decided
to cancel America's KeystonePipeline and 10,000 jobs
while allowing the completion of Russia's
Nord Stream pipeline to Western Europe,
something former Secretary ofState Mike Pompeo said Sunday
the Trump administrationwould have never allowed.
- We made clear that that pipeline
was not gonna be completed,
it would not have been completedhad we had four more years.
I'm very, very confident of that.
- [Dale] Old hands like Gaffney say
they've seen these kinds ofpolicies in action before,
and it doesn't end well.
A troubling prediction as Bidenheads into his first meeting
with Russia's Vladimir Putin.
Dale Hurd, CBN News.
- Back here at home,
more than 50 millionAmericans in the Western US
are facing oppressiveheat in the coming days.
The National Weather Service
to issue excessive heatwatches and warnings
throughout California,Nevada, Arizona and Utah.
Temperatures soaring to morethan 100 degrees in most areas
and predicted to top out at get this,
118 degrees in Phoenix,
that's scheduled tohappen on Thursday, ouch.
Pat.
- Well, you know, those wholook for global warming,
they're finally getting theanswer to their prayers.
We're getting it and it'sgetting it in spades,
it is going to be powerfully hot.
And all we can say rightnow is stay in doors,
stay cool, stay hydrated,
and don't be a hero.
I remember jogging
when I was in my joggingphase out in Phoenix
with a temperature of about 107,
and it wasn't long beforeI was facing heatstroke,
and didn't even know I'd gotten it.
So please be careful.
