Israel’s been riding the Trump roller-coaster since the U.S. election, according to Ben Caspit of AL Monitor:
Ever since the morning of Nov. 9, various spokespeople for the Israeli right have competed among themselves to find the most enthusiastic superlatives to describe the president-elect and to sketch out settlement-expansion plans for immediate action. They wanted to strike while the American iron was still red hot.
Naftali Bennett, the chairman of HaBayit HaYehudi, overshadowed everyone when he made the festive assertion that the results of the US election mean that “the era of a Palestinian state is over.”
The ride up the initial riser is exhilerating as the shadow of Clinton fades from the scene. But then comes the long walk down the mountain:
The settlers released a video clip in which Trump confidante David Friedman, considered the leading candidate for American ambassador to Israel, spoke behind closed doors with leaders of the settlement movement about Trump’s pro-Israel platform. Listing all of its advantages, Friedman noted that even if Israel annexes Judea and Samaria, Jews would still make up just 65% of the population between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. In other words, it would be wrong to say that Israel would no longer be a Jewish state.
Filmed during the campaign, this video clip was like a strong breeze blowing right into the sails of the settler movement. The problem is that since his campaign ended, the president-elect and his team have taken an entirely different tack. As Trump slowly climbs down from his high horse, the Israeli right is beginning to calm down, too. Rehearsals for the coming of the Messiah have been postponed to a later date. Skepticism has begun to gnaw at people’s hearts and minds.
It’s disquieting to realize how much of this is religiously based. Here in the US, Trump owes his election, in part, to the Evangelical turnout; in Israel, the faithful await the coming of the Messiah, although Trump doesn’t seem to be inclined to jump right into the role. Not that this is anything really new, but one yearns for progress, not more meaningless zealotry. Those who yearn for the Messiah, or perhaps just power, are trying to push Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu out of the way:
On Nov. 13, Education Minister Naftali Bennett and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, both leaders of HaBayit HaYehudi, decided to take action. They brought the proposed Regularization law up for a vote before the Ministerial Committee on Legislation. The proposed law would enable the Israeli government to circumvent court rulings, such as the High Court order to evacuate the Amona outpost by Dec. 25 and retroactively approve thousands of settler housing units built on privately owned Palestinian land in the occupied territories. They did so despite explicit opposition to the move by Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman.
Notice the disdain for the Law. It makes me think it’s just a lust for power.
