Has Netanyahu Sold Out The Nationalist Camp?

Tweet

UPDATES

7 pm Israel time, Monday, May 4 2015

**Attempted stabbing incidents in Samaria last night and in Jerusalem this morning emphasize the bloody nature of Palestinian terrorism (as if it needed emphasizing).

At the Yakir Junction in central Samaria, two knife-wielding Palestinian terrorists attempted to attack an IDF soldier but were repelled  and captured.

At the Givat Hamivtar light rail train station in eastern Jerusalem, a Palestinian terrorist pulled out a knife and started trying to stab nearby pedestrians until he was shot by a security guard.

**There are reports that what is left of the Syrian government of Bashir Assad is now teetering on the verge of collapse. Last night saw an airlift of Alawite families (Assad comes from the Alawite minority) out of Damascus, and “rebel” forces are now converging on the critical port of Latakia.

In addition, new numbers as to the number of Syrian army officers killed and Hezbollah casualties have come to light. More than 50 Hezbollah militants were killed in the last 24 hours alone.

Having said all of this, one should never count Assad out.

TODAY’S BLOG:

Avigdor Lieberman dropped a political bombshell this afternoon, announcing that he is resigning as Foreign Minister and leading his party, Yisrael Beiteinu, into the opposition.

This means that if Netanyahu can get Shas and Jewish Home to sign coalition agreements (the deadline is Wednesday), Netanyahu will have an extremely narrow ruling coalition of 61 Knesset legislators–though it is also possible that Netanyahu can wean a few Yisrael Beiteinu legislators away from Lieberman and into a coalition.

A 61 vote majority is not unheard of in Israeli political history–Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Rabin formed similar governments; however, this news is somewhat shocking to an Israeli populace which voted decisively for the right in the recent election.

The question of the day is why would Lieberman jump out of a coalition at the last moment–particularly since he was going to keep the highly prized post of Foreign Minister.

Therefore, regular purchase viagra without prescription intake of Shilajit ES capsules regularly along with including above mentioned vegetables in your diet. Take the whole pill, do not crush, chew or break the tablet, swallow it as a purchase generic viagra whole. There are other problems associated with erectile dysfunction. viagra viagra you could try this out However when something goes wrong with a vital member of the body, this has actually a direct levitra on line discover content effect on our T cells, which are necessary for fighting off infections.
To hear Lieberman, the decision is all about the fact that Netanyahu has sold out the nationalist camp. In his announcement, Lieberman cited:

1. Netanyahu’s refusal to include a clause in the coalition agreement a pledge to get rid of Hamas.

2. Netanyahu’s refusal to include a declaration that the new government will continue to build homes in Judea, Samaria, and Jerusalem.

3. Netanyahu’s apparent desire to bury a bill that would declare that “Israel is a Jewish state.”

Of course, Lieberman is exactly correct on all three points. But Netanyahu’s positions are nothing new and were obvious all during the tenure of the last government. The IDF announced during the war last summer that it did not want to destroy Hamas; Netanyahu has brought all construction in Judea, Samaria, and Jerusalem to a screeching halt; and the Jewish state law died on the vine at the end of last year.

As your humble servant has pointed out repeatedly over the last few years, Netanyahu sold out the national camp long ago. However, he has at least (more or less) maintained the status quo–something that a Herzog-Livni government would have never done. Maintaining the status quo has had the effect of solidifying facts on the ground.

But back to Lieberman. Why did he make this decision and this announcement now?

In the first place, never say never. Don’t be surprised if Lieberman changes his tune tomorrow. More importantly, Lieberman seems to think that this may be the only way to save his Yisrael Beiteinu–and himself– from ultimate extinction.