UPDATES
10 pm Israel time, Thursday, May 7 2015
**A new Netanyahu government has been formed in Israel, and already every entity on the Left–NGOs, politicians, and media–are taking potshots. A sampling of the phrases being used:
“a narrow right-wing government”
“a government doomed to failure”
“a government of racists”
Isaac Herzog, the head of the party that lost the recent election, summed it all up:
“[The government] is a national failure of a government . . . [it] lacks responsibility, stability and governance. “[It’s] a weak and narrow government, susceptible to blackmail, that will advance nothing and will quickly be replaced by a responsible and hopeful alternative.”
The general thought being advanced by Israeli pundits is that any coalition consisting of 61 seats is doomed to failure.
But nothing could be further from the truth.
Think back to June 20, 1977. At that time Menachem Begin established a coalition of 61 seats. Begin was still prime minister 4 years later in 1981. All he did with his little coalition was sign and implement the Camp David Accords. By the way, Begin became prime minister again in 1981 and once again had a coalition of only 61 seats.
Or think back to July 13, 1992. At that time Yitzhak Rabin became prime minister after forming a coalition of only 62 seats. All he did with his little coalition was push through the abominable Oslo “peace” accords.
There is actually no reason to think that the current coalition will not last because it is difficult to look at the new Netanyahu government without thinking that all of its coalition members are winners.
The Kulanu party is essentially taking over all the major aspects of housing and finance–exactly what it wanted. Shas and United Torah Judaism have assumed control of most things religious, won vast increases in child subsidies, and won the rollback of laws adversely affecting the orthodox population–exactly what they wanted.
And what can you say about Naftali Bennett and the Jewish Home party? Here is some of what they apparently got (the actual agreement will not be made known until next week):
Naftali Bennett: Minister of Education, Minister of Diaspora Affairs.
Ayelet Shaked: Minister of Justice: Chair of the powerful Ministerial Committee for Legislation, Chair of the powerful Judicial Appointments Committee.
Uri Ariel: Minister of Agriculture which gives Jewish Home control over the World Zionist Organization’s Settlement Division as well as Bedouin Affairs.
Jewish Home will also Chair the powerful Knesset Law and Constitution Committee.
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Jewish Home will also have a Deputy Defense Minister.
Jewish Home also obtained Netanyahu support for the NGO law (an Israeli NGO seeking a tax exemption for a contribution a foreign entity will require ministerial and Knesset approval).
Jewish Home also obtained a Netanyahu commitment to proceed with the Prawer plan which attempts to address problems associated with the Bedouins in the Negev.
Jewish Home also obtained approval to raise the education budget by 630 million shekels ($143 million dollars), with special focus to be on improving educational possibilities for the disabled.
Jewish Home also obtained approval to spend 1 billion shekels to (250 million dollars) to raise the salaries of soldiers in their 3rd year of service.
Jewish Home also obtained approval to focus on increasing security on the roads of Judea and Samaria.
About the only major things that Bennett and Jewish Home did not get that were left on the table after Netanyahu made coalition agreements with Koolanu and the orthodox are the Foreign, Defense, and Transportation Ministries.
Will there be problems between Likud, Jewish Home, Shas, United Torah Judaism, and Koolanu?
Of course, there will be. But it is in everyone’s vested interest to stay in this coalition. Don’t be surprised if it is around for a while.
A student from Malawi, who had worked with an Israeli health volunteer in his country battling AIDS, came up to us as we walked down the street in the UC-Davis Picnic Day Parade and wanted to carry the Israeli flag.