Netanyahu returns as prime minister of hard-line Israeli government

Benjamin Netanyahu has been sworn in as Israel's prime minister, returning to his old position under the most right-wing and religiously conservative government in the country's history. 

Netanyahu took the oath of office on Thursday moments after parliament passed a vote of confidence in his new government.

Netanyahu's return to the premier post marks his sixth term in office, continuing his more than decade-long dominance over Israeli politics.

He vowed to implement policies that could cause domestic and regional turmoil and alienate the country’s closest allies.

“I hear the constant cries of the opposition about the end of the country and democracy," said Netanyahu after taking the podium in parliament ahead of the government's formal swearing-in on Thursday afternoon. 

His speech was interrupted repeatedly by heckles and jeers from opposition leadership, who at times chanted “weak.”

"Opposition members: to lose in elections is not the end of democracy, this is the essence of democracy,” he said.

His new government has pledged to prioritise settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, extend massive subsidies to his ultra-Orthodox allies and push for sweeping reform of the judicial system that could endanger the country's democratic institutions.

READ MORE: Netanyahu picks ex-intel chief Eli Cohen as new Israeli foreign minister

Longest-serving PM

Netanyahu is the country's longest-serving prime minister, having held office from 2009 until 2021 and a stint in the 1990s. 

He was ousted from office last year after four deadlocked elections by a coalition of eight parties solely united in their opposition to his rule while on trial for corruption.

That coalition broke apart in June, and Netanyahu and his ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox allies secured a parliamentary majority in November's election.

Netanyahu's allies in the new government are pushing for dramatic changes that could alienate large swaths of the Israeli public, raise the risk of conflict with the Palestinians, and put Israel on a collision course with some of its closest supporters, including the United States and the Jewish American community.

Yair Lapid, the outgoing prime minister who will now reassume the title of opposition leader, told parliament that he was handing the new government “a country in excellent condition, with a strong economy, with improved defensive abilities and strong deterrence, with one of the best international standings ever.”

“Try not to destroy it. We’ll be back soon,” Lapid said.

READ MORE: Expanding illegal West Bank settlements is Netanyahu's govt top priority