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Israel Could See New Government if Confidence Vote Passes - WSJ

  
Via:  Vic Eldred  •  3 years ago  •  17 comments

By:   Dov Lieber (WSJ)

Israel Could See New Government if Confidence Vote Passes - WSJ
A new Israeli government is set to be sworn in if a coalition of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's opponents passes a confidence vote in parliament, potentially bringing an end to the leader's 12-year run in power.

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TEL AVIV—A new Israeli government is set to be sworn in later Sunday if a coalition of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's opponents passes a confidence vote in parliament, which would bring an end to the leader's 12-year run in power as the country faces a sluggish economy and security challenges from Hamas.

Naftali Bennett of the right-wing Yamina party will be prime minister if the new, wide-ranging coalition passes the final hurdle. It is made up of parties from across the political spectrum, including an independent Arab party for the first time in Israel's history. Mr. Bennett and his partners put together their alliance after Mr. Netanyahu failed to cobble his own coalition following national elections in March.

Mr. Bennett's eight-party coalition has the backing of 61 lawmakers in the 120-member Knesset and is expected to pass the confidence vote by a simple majority.

If the vote passes, Mr. Bennett would take power at a pivotal moment in the country's history. Four inconclusive elections since 2019 have left Israel deeply polarized. Now, Israeli politicians must try to mend those rifts even as they confront divisive issues ranging from settlement construction and empowering the country's Arab citizens to state assistance for ultra-Orthodox Jews.

More immediately, the government needs to take steps to boost the economy after several lockdowns last year to contain the spread of Covid-19 while also negotiating a longer-term truce deal with Gaza ruler Hamas after the two sides fought a deadly 11-day conflict in May.

The new government would also inherit a series of foreign-policy challenges.  Israel is engaged in a complex battle with Iran’s military proxies in Syria  and elsewhere in the region and is also trying to contain Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. The government will also face an unstable and combustible period in Palestinian politics, as well as  a softening of bipartisan support in Washington .

The breadth of the challenges could strain the ties that bind Mr. Bennett’s government-in-waiting.

“The main challenge will be to hold on,” said Gideon Rahat, a senior fellow at the Jerusalem-based think tank the Israel Democracy Institute. “This is the most heterogeneous government in the history of Israel.”

The disparate parties in the coalition are united in their opposition to Mr. Netanyahu. They accuse Israel’s longest-serving prime minister of putting his personal interests before the country. Mr. Netanyahu is currently battling corruption charges in court.  He denies any wrongdoing .

The different parties have deep ideological differences. They said they wouldn’t attempt to solve major pre-existing issues but would focus instead on improving the everyday lives of Israeli citizens.

The new coalition published Friday the terms of its agreements, which show it would focus primarily on rejuvenating the ailing health, transportation and education systems of the country and bringing down the cost of living. The eight parties also agreed to pass a law limiting prime ministers to two terms or eight years. It isn’t clear if the legislation would be retroactive, and whether it would prevent Mr. Netanyahu from running again for the office.

Yair Lapid of the centrist Yesh Atid party received the mandate to form a government last month after Mr. Netanyahu failed to do so. Mr. Lapid agreed to a partnership with Mr. Bennett in which the latter would become prime minister first for two years, followed by Mr. Lapid.

The coalition agreements divide power equally among the right-wing, centrist and left-wing parties, giving each bloc a veto. Additionally, Messrs. Bennett and Lapid won’t be able to fire ministers from each other’s blocs.

Mr. Bennett’s party controls seven seats in the Knesset compared with Mr. Lapid’s 17. But right-wing Jewish Israelis who previously supported Mr. Netanyahu’s governments might find him a more politically palatable candidate as prime minister.

The new coalition includes two other right-wing parties, New Hope and Yisrael Beiteinu, as well as the left-wing Labor and Meretz, the centrist Blue and White and the Islamist party Ra’am.


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Vic Eldred
Professor Principal
1  seeder  Vic Eldred    3 years ago

Arguably the best Prime Minister Israel ever had. I think of two things when I think of his two stints as PM (1996-1999 and 2009 - Today), I think of the creation of key economic reforms, which led to a free market system and the safety & security that Israel has relied on. 

There has also been another side to the man that involves corruption, thus we find this unlikely coalition from right and left with only one goal -defeating Netanyahu! I say that is a terrible reason for a campaign.

Today we may find out if Israel puts appearance over the interests of the nation.

 
 
 
Hallux
Masters Principal
1.1  Hallux  replied to  Vic Eldred @1    3 years ago

Looks like they did both.

 
 
 
Vic Eldred
Professor Principal
1.1.1  seeder  Vic Eldred  replied to  Hallux @1.1    3 years ago

Looks like they did what America did.

 
 
 
Hallux
Masters Principal
1.1.2  Hallux  replied to  Vic Eldred @1.1.1    3 years ago

Looks like both did not want a whiner.

 
 
 
Kavika
Professor Principal
2  Kavika     3 years ago

The rating of all Israeli PMs by Haaretz.

Bibi doesn't fare well.

Bibi was ousted today.

 
 
 
Vic Eldred
Professor Principal
2.1  seeder  Vic Eldred  replied to  Kavika @2    3 years ago

Many of us can think for ourselves.

 
 
 
Kavika
Professor Principal
2.1.1  Kavika   replied to  Vic Eldred @2.1    3 years ago

[DELETED]

 
 
 
Kavika
Professor Principal
2.1.2  Kavika   replied to  Kavika @2.1.1    3 years ago

[removed]

 
 
 
Kavika
Professor Principal
2.1.3  Kavika   replied to  Kavika @2.1.2    3 years ago

[removed]

 
 
 
Hallux
Masters Principal
2.1.4  Hallux  replied to  Kavika @2.1.3    3 years ago

3 removals in a row! I'm impressed.

 
 
 
Kavika
Professor Principal
2.1.5  Kavika   replied to  Hallux @2.1.4    3 years ago

[deleted]

 
 
 
Vic Eldred
Professor Principal
3  seeder  Vic Eldred    3 years ago

UPDATE:

A new Israeli coalition government led by commando-turned-tech entrepreneur Naftali Bennett ended Benjamin Netanyahu’s 12-year run in power.

PS

"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu   used his final speech in front of the Knesset Sunday to vow a swift return to office, attack his replacement and call out the Biden administration’s effort to revive the nuke deal with Iran.

Netanyahu, 71, stepped aside for the new coalition government led by Naftali Bennett who became the new prime minister after a 60-59 vote. President Biden quickly   congratulated the new government. 

Bennett’s office said he later spoke by phone with Biden, thanking him for his warm wishes and longstanding commitment to Israel’s security.

Netanyahu described Bennett, who was once his ally, as a political lightweight who does not have the talent to handle the job.  

Netanyahu went on to talk about the challenges in dealing with the U.S. He said "the administration" in Washington had asked him "not to discuss our disagreement on Iran publicly."

"But with all due respect, I can’t do that," Netanyahu said, according to the Jerusalem Post. 

The paper said Netanyahu compared the attempt by the U.S. to return to the Iran nuke deal to the decision by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt not to bomb the train tracks that led to Auschwitz—the concentration camp—when there was an opportunity in 1944.

"The prime minister of Israel needs to be able to say no to the president of the United States on issues that threaten our existence," he said. The report said Netanyahu recalled his 2015 speech in front of a joint session of Congress to voice his dismay over the Obama-era nuke deal.

The White House did not immediately respond to an after-hours email from Fox News.

The speech was supposed to take 15 minutes but continued for more than a half-hour, according to the Times of Israel. A senior Israeli diplomat   told   Axios that Netanyahu "decided to damage the U.S.-Israel relationship for his own personal interests and is trying to leave scorched earth for the incoming government."

Netanyahu said Iran is "celebrating" his loss because "they understand that starting today there will be a weak and unstable government that will align with the dictates of the international community ."

The Times of Israel   pointed out   that Bennett has also spoken out in opposition to the U.S. return to the nuke deal.

Netanyahu has been clear about his concern about the U.S. rejoining the nuclear agreement with Iran. Last month, after a ceasefire was announced between Israel and Hamas after a deadly 11-day conflict, Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Netanyahu in Jerusalem. 

Netanyahu held a joint   press conference with the top diplomat   and said, "I can tell you that I hope that the United States will not go back to the old JCPOA because we believe that that deal paves the way for Iran to have an arsenal of nuclear weapons with international legitimacy," Netanyahu said, referencing the acronym for the nuclear deal, formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

"We also reiterated that whatever happens, Israel will always reserve the right to defend itself against a regime committed to our destruction, committed to getting the weapons of mass destruction for that end," the Israeli prime minister added.

Netanyahu remains head of the largest party in parliament. The new coalition is a patchwork of small and midsize parties that could collapse if any of its members decide to bolt. Bennett’s party, for instance, holds just six seats in the 120-seat parliament.

The driving force behind the coalition is Yair Lapid, a political centrist who will become prime minister in two years in a rotation agreement with Bennett, if the government lasts."





Netanyahu's parting shot was well taken.

 
 
 
Hallux
Masters Principal
3.1  Hallux  replied to  Vic Eldred @3    3 years ago

You seem to like losers who whine alike.

 
 
 
Split Personality
Professor Guide
3.2  Split Personality  replied to  Vic Eldred @3    3 years ago
The paper said Netanyahu compared the attempt by the U.S. to return to the Iran nuke deal to the decision by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt not to bomb the train tracks that led to Auschwitz—the concentration camp—when there was an opportunity in 1944.

Another Bibi lie.  Not surprised, he was prone his own facts in high school too.

whether or not the Allies had the requisite knowledge and the technical capability to act continues to be explored by historians. 

...

President Franklin D. Roosevelt , sensitive to the importance of his Jewish constituency, consulted with Jewish leaders. He followed their advice to not emphasize the Holocaust for fear of inciting anti-semitism in the U.S. Historians Richard Breitman and Allan J. Lichtman argue that after Pearl Harbor:

Roosevelt and his military and diplomatic advisers sought to unite the nation and blunt Nazi propaganda by avoiding the appearance of fighting a war for the Jews. They tolerated no potentially divisive initiatives or any diversion from their campaign to win the war as quickly and decisively as possible....Success on the battlefield, Roosevelt and his advisers believed, was the only sure way to save the surviving Jews of Europe. [49]

Breitman and Lichtman also argue:

Roosevelt played no apparent role in the decision not to bomb Auschwitz. Even if the matter had reached his desk, however, he would not likely have contravened his military. Every major American Jewish leader and organization that he respected remained silent on the matter, as did all influential members of Congress and opinion-makers in the mainstream media. [50]
  • Richard Breitman and Allan J. Lichtman, FDR and the Jews (2013) p. 318–319.
Breitman and Lichtman, p. 321.
 
 
 
Split Personality
Professor Guide
3.2.1  Split Personality  replied to  Split Personality @3.2    3 years ago

Footnote;

Auschwitz supplied workers to a light oil plant nearby which was targeted by the Allies without regard to the forced labor they knew to exist there.

Coincidentally on one bombing run, due to our terribly inaccurate bombing abilities, the SS barracks in the Auschwitz Camp

were accidentally destroyed, killing 15 SS officers, injuring 17.  They also killed 40 prisoners.

Deliberate attempts to cut the rail lines would probably have just missed, killing more cows and trees.

 
 
 
Vic Eldred
Professor Principal
3.2.2  seeder  Vic Eldred  replied to  Split Personality @3.2    3 years ago

I think there is a difference between bombing Auschwitz itself and the train tracks leading to it.

The question for the people of Israel is not whether Bibi got it right/wrong or even lied about it. It is strictly about what Bibi can do to protect and serve the nation.

 
 
 
Vic Eldred
Professor Principal
3.2.3  seeder  Vic Eldred  replied to  Split Personality @3.2.1    3 years ago

That would be the most valid reason for not bombing such a location - we simply did not have precision bombing in WWII.

 
 

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