While America continues down its dramatic political path towards what we hope is recovery from the Trump years, Israel has, with greater reluctance, finally taken steps away from its right wing leader, former Prime Minister, but still Member of the Knesset, Benjamin Netanyahu. Much like former President Trump, Netanyahu’s not going quietly into the political night:
BILATERAL MEETING WITH THE PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL..Photo credit: Matty STERN/U.S. Embassy Jerusalem
Netanyahu, on the government’s first day, predicted a fast end to the new coalition.
“The fraudulent government will fall quickly,” Netanyahu said Monday. “Three things unite it: hatred, exclusion and domination. With such hatred it is impossible to hold a government for long.”
His allies, including far-right religious nationalists and ultra-Orthodox parties, are also pledging a comeback. [WaPo]
In fact, he’s not going at all if he can help it. That is one nasty breach of democratic norms; hoping they fail means endangering the country. But I’m also struck, if not surprised, by how his allies are so much like Trump’s religious allies:
Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, a member of the Chief Rabbinate Council, which enjoyed elevated status during Netanyahu’s tenure, led a prayer alongside other influential rabbis at the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Sunday. They prayed for the failure of a government that they said “wants to erase the Jewish identity in the state of Israel” . . . and “harm the holiness” of Jewish laws and customs.
The selfish nature of religious leaders apparently extends to Israel. Mazal Mualem has a bit more, although I wonder if it’s colored by her own feelings on the matter:
The alliance between Netanyahu and the ultra-Orthodox was one of the strongest, most impenetrable coalitions in Israeli politics. For many years Netanyahu gave them rulership, important portfolios and budgets, and in turn they were the prime minister’s safety net. Even when Netanyahu got into legal trouble and became a lame duck, the ultra-Orthodox did not abandon him and firmly rejected offers from the opposition. His ultra-Orthodox partners marched with him into the opposition.
The heads of the ultra-Orthodox parties seem to be in shock and are still working to grasp the situation. So long as Netanyahu can convince others that the change coalition will fall apart, they will cling to him as they know that they need one another. [AL-Monitor]
What is politely known as loyalty is better described as an addiction to power, even a reliance on a privileged position in society where, due to their religious professions, they do not have to serve in the military, unlike their fellow citizens. Mualem has a back-handed slap for them:
Liberman spoke yesterday about his intentions regarding the ultra-Orthodox: “We will try with all our might to promote core studies for all students, so that the sons and daughters of the ultra-Orthodox sector will be able to pass matriculation examinations like everyone else. This will enable them to acquire a profession and stand on their own feet economically, and not to rely on government allowances.” He was describing the nightmare of the ultra-Orthodox, a possibility they had fended off with Netanyahu’s help.
Hopefully, this is all side show. Israeli relations with their neighbors and the world remain the number one priority for the Israelis, and how a coalition government featuring parties from across the political spectrum performs should be fascinating.
