Israel 'change' coalition poised for vote to end Netanyahu era

.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday faced the likely end of his 12-year rule as a parliament vote loomed in which a fragile "change" coalition hoped to oust him and form a new government. Embattled Netanyahu, in characteristically combative style, vowed that "if it's our destiny to be in the opposition, we'll do so with our heads high until we take down this bad government and return to lead the country our way". Beloved as "King Bibi" by his right-wing supporters and condemned as the "crime minister" by his critics, the hawkish Netanyahu has long been the dominant, and increasingly divisive, figure in Israeli politics. If the fragile eight-party alliance wins a razor-thin majority in the 120-seat Knesset, Netanyahu, 71, will be replaced as premier by his one-time ally Naftali Bennett, a right-wing Jewish nationalist and former tech millionaire.