Putin congratulated Bennett on taking office as Prime Minister of Israel

His candidacy was supported by 60 members of the Knesset, 59 opposed, one abstained. Thus, Benjamin Netanyahu leaves the post of head of the Cabinet after 12 years of rule and goes into opposition.

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Bennett on taking office as Prime Minister of Israel, wishing him success, health and well-being, according to the Kremlin's website. He noted that Russian-Israeli relations are friendly.

Putin hopes that Bennett's activities will contribute to "the further development of constructive bilateral cooperation in all areas". “This, undoubtedly, meets the fundamental interests of our peoples, goes in line with the consolidation of peace, security and stability in the Middle East”, - the Russian president stressed.

It is known that Bennett will rule for only two years, then there will be a rotation and the post of Israeli Prime Minister will be taken by Foreign Minister Yair Lapid. At the same time, 71-year-old Netanyahu intends to lead the opposition soon to return to power.

It's worth reminding that in early April 2021, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin instructed Netanyahu to form a new government following the elections to the Knesset. According to the law, 28 days were allotted for coalition negotiations. Netanyahu's mandate expired on May 5, but he failed to create a government by that time. After that, the mandate was transferred to Lapid.