It appears that Israel will finally get a new government. The representatives of the anti-Netanyahu sentiment that has so divided the country for the past 2 years got their act together and made a broad coalition that crosses a lot of ideological boundaries. It’s the first time, ever, that an Arab political party is in the coalition. They won’t have a ministerial position, but there is a promise to deal with a number of issues that are very important to the Arab minority. The current government under Netanyahu tried to woo their support, and failed. Despite that, the TV is full of public service ads pushing for cooperation and mutual understanding between Jews and Arabs.
Another aspect of the newly formed coalition is the absence of the main ultra-religious parties. Many are hopeful that it will result in loosening their stranglehold on Jewish affairs. There is a law on the books to allow Reform and Conservative Jews space to pray at the Western Wall. Ultra-Orthodox support of Netanyahu resulted in that law never being enforced. It was also likely behind the blind eye the Netanyahu government turned on handling safety requirements at the Lag B’Omer festivities at Har Meron where 49 people were killed. The minister of internal security, a Netanyahu supporter and Likud party member said he accepted responsibility for the disaster, but not blame. That kind of political double-speak left me struggling to understand the difference. It became clear when the minister did not resign and the government was/is working to prevent forming a body to investigate that has any real power.
One area where I think the newly announced government has an opportunity to make a real difference is in dealing with Hamas in Gaza. Currently, there are ongoing “negotiations” between Israel and Hamas. They are conducted from separate rooms via Egyptian officials who act as messengers to bring the proposals and discussions between the two parties. This farce is needed because Hamas refuses to recognize Israel and will not conduct direct face to face talks with Israelis. The Netanyahu governments were comfortable with a cease-fire that allowed Hamas to periodically fire rockets and send explosive laden balloons into Israel. Whether they will change their stance talking to a government led by Naftali Bennet remains to be seen, but Bennet has been critical of the Netanyahu approach that resulted in periodic violent confrontations without any real change of status. And before I finish, I need to remind you that the average standard of living in the Gaza strip is well above that of the typical Egyptian citizen, and the Hamas leaders enjoy a much better life than even the privileged classes in Lebanon. One should not be taken in by Hamas sponsored pro-Palestine propaganda. The reality there is nothing like the poverty and destruction that they present to the international media.
Finally, there was another change on the Israeli scene. Israel has a new President. The job is mostly about ceremonial duties, but it does have an effect. Coupled with the new government that will be sworn in next week, the changes may actually result in some real changes in Israeli in other ways. But remember the old English proverb “There’s many a slip twixt the cup and the lip”.
Wetherhorn 