Media Releases

The Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) today congratulated incoming Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu on the formation of his new coalition government.

The formation of the government was announced on Wednesday after more than six weeks of intensive negotiations between the various parties following the election on November 1.

AIJAC’s National Chairman, Mark Leibler AC, and Executive Director, Dr. Colin Rubenstein AM, jointly stated:

“AIJAC congratulates Binyamin Netanyahu on his new government. We wish him and his ministers every success as they take the reins and attempt to grapple with Israel’s numerous challenges on multiple fronts – diplomatic, security, economic, health and others.

“Mr. Netanyahu is of course Israel’s longest-serving and most experienced political leader. We also take him at his word that he will be the one steering the ship of state in the new government, not his coalition partners. We hope and expect that this means that he will ensure that the inflammatory rhetoric and radical proposals that have emanated from some members of the new governing coalition will not define the domestic or foreign policies of the new government.”

“AIJAC also looks forward to exploring new opportunities to work together to further strengthen the Australia/Israel relationship under the new Netanyahu-led Israeli government,” they concluded.