![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/huewhite.com\/umb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Benyamin_Netanyahu_Aug._2019_48598784726_cropped_2.jpg?ssl=1\")
<\/a>BILATERAL MEETING WITH THE PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL..Photo credit: Matty STERN\/U.S. Embassy Jerusalem<\/p><\/div>\n
Netanyahu, on the government\u2019s first day, predicted a fast end to the new coalition.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fraudulent government will fall quickly,\u201d Netanyahu said Monday. \u201cThree things unite it: hatred, exclusion and domination. With such hatred it is impossible to hold a government for long.\u201d<\/p>\n
His allies, including far-right religious nationalists and ultra-Orthodox parties, are also pledging a comeback. [WaPo<\/strong><\/a>]<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n 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:<\/p>\n Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, a member of the Chief Rabbinate Council, which enjoyed elevated status during Netanyahu\u2019s 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 \u201cwants to erase the Jewish identity in the state of Israel\u201d .\u2009.\u2009. and \u201charm the holiness\u201d of Jewish laws and customs.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n 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:<\/p>\n The\u00a0alliance between Netanyahu and the ultra-Orthodox<\/a>\u00a0was one of the strongest, most impenetrable coalitions in Israeli politics. For many years Netanyahu gave them rulership, important portfolios\u00a0and budgets,\u00a0and in turn they were the prime minister\u2019s safety net. Even when Netanyahu got into legal trouble and became a\u00a0lame duck, the ultra-Orthodox did not abandon him\u00a0and firmly rejected offers from the opposition. His\u00a0ultra-Orthodox partners\u00a0marched\u00a0with him into the opposition.<\/p>\n The heads of the ultra-Orthodox parties seem to be in shock and are still working to\u00a0grasp the situation. So long as Netanyahu can convince others that the change coalition will\u00a0fall apart, they will cling to him as they\u00a0know that they need one another. [AL-Monitor<\/strong><\/a>]<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n What is politely known as loyalty is better described as an addiction to power<\/em>, 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:<\/p>\n Liberman spoke yesterday about his intentions regarding the ultra-Orthodox:\u00a0\u201cWe 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\u00a0stand on their own feet economically<\/a>, and not to rely on government allowances.\u201d He was describing the nightmare\u00a0of the ultra-Orthodox, a possibility they had fended off\u00a0with Netanyahu\u2019s help.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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 \u2026 Continue reading