Bibi under fire for lurch to right
FEARS that Israel’s new government will hinder rather than help the already faltering peace process, as well as deepen Jerusalem’s rift with the US and other Western countries have been echoed in Australia.
Last Wednesday, as the deadline neared for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to form a coalition which would give him a Knesset majority, he struck a last-minute deal with the right wing Jewish Home party headed by Naftali Bennett.
The agreement saw three key ministerial positions handed to Jewish Home MKs who have been vocal opponents of a two-state solution and proponents of increased settlement construction.
Bennett (Minister of Education and Diaspora Affairs), Ayelet Shaked (Minister of Justice) and Uri Ariel (Minister of Agricultural and Rural Development) join an already right-leaning coalition that also includes members of the ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism parties.
Netanyahu has indicated he is looking to broaden the government’s narrow base – it can only count on the support of 61 out of 120 MKs – prompting speculation he may try and lure Isaac Herzog’s Zionist Union into the fold.
However, Herzog insisted he would not help prop up the coalition, which he claimed would not be able to function with such a slim majority.
Reflecting on Netanyahu’s current government, president of the Australian branch of progressive Zionist group Ameinu Johnny Baker expressed deep concern about its composition.
“A wafer-thin coalition which includes a number of extremist parties can hardly serve Israel’s best interests at this delicate point in time. It will offer undue representation to the settlement enterprise, turn back the clock on religious tolerance and potentially usurp the independence of the judicial system.
“Moreover, it is unlikely to enjoy widespread support in the international arena, particularly in the USA, at a time when the Iran situation is of paramount importance. Hopefully a more moderate government will emerge over time.”
However, Zionist Federation of Australia president Danny Lamm said it was far too premature to pass judgment on the direction the coalition would take. “Appearances are often deceptive; governments should be assessed on what they do rather than the rhetoric expressed prior to election,” he said.
“Menachem Begin, described outrageously by [David] Ben Gurion as a fascist, offered the Sinai up for peace with the Egyptians. [Yitzhak] Rabin completed a peace deal with the Jordanians.
“[Ariel] Sharon was described as extreme right and yet he made the decision to unilaterally disengage from Gaza – was that the action of the right wing?”
As for Netanyahu himself, Lamm noted, “Bibi gave up most of Hebron during his 1996-9 leadership – was that a right wing action? When he accepted a two-state solution, how would you characterise that?
“What we hope for is a government that rules for all Israelis, that isn’t as internally divisive as the last one, a leadership that can plan beyond the next election and finally one that is not motivated by political opportunism.”
AJN STAFF
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