JERUSALEM — Israel’s new government was sworn in on Thursday, bringing Benjamin Netanyahu back to power under the leadership of a religiously conservative and right-wing administration that represents a significant challenge to country on the world stage.
Netanyahu’s ruling coalition will likely test Israel’s relations with the United States and Europe, amid concerns that his coalition partners will undermine liberal democracy and stability. regulations of the country. Mr. Netanyahu dismissed those concerns in his speech to Parliament ahead of the confidence vote and the swearing in of ministers.
“There is a broad consensus among us on most of the challenges we face, though certainly not on all of them,” he said. “I hear the opposition’s constant lamentations about ‘the country is over’ and ‘the end of democracy.’ Members of the opposition, losing elections is not the end of democracy — it is the nature of democracy.”
The composition of Mr. Netanyahu’s government and the policies it is committed to pursuing have raised concerns about rising tensions with the Palestinians, undermining the country’s judicial independence and rolling back sanctions. measures to protect the LGBTQ community and other segments of society.
Mr. Netanyahu’s return as prime minister for a sixth time comes at a critical time for Israel as it faces fundamental challenges: Iran’s drive to acquire nuclear weapons; growing international criticism of the handling of the occupied West Bank; and global anti-Semitic wave.
The union has been clear in its manifesto – set out in agreements with various parties when ministries are awarded – of what it intends to do.
It declared the “exclusive and inalienable right of the Jews to all parts of the Land of Israel” and pledged to promote Jewish settlement in the West Bank – explicitly abandoning the formula internationally recognized settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. Peace talks have been interrupted for years.
The new government is also pushing for an overhaul of the judiciary that Mr. Netanyahu – currently on trial on corruption charges – and his supporters insist will restore a proper balance between the branches of the government. government. Critics say the move would limit the power of the independent judiciary, damage Israel’s democratic system and make minorities more vulnerable.
Mr. Netanyahu’s previous coalitions have been balanced by more moderate parties, but this time, he must rely more heavily on far-right parties to form a government. That could further complicate Israel’s relationship with perhaps its most important ally, the United States, and with American Jews, who were once Israel’s strongest supporters in the country. outside.
Things to know about Israel’s new government
President Biden said in a statement Thursday that he looks forward to working with a prime minister “who has been a friend of mine for decades, to jointly address the many challenges and opportunities that Israel and the region face.” The Middle East faces, including threats from Iran.”
But Mr. Biden also alluded to possible sources of tension with the new government, such as LGBTQ rights and conflict with the Palestinians. “The United States will continue to support the two-state solution and oppose policies that jeopardize its viability,” he said.
Thomas R. Nides, the US ambassador to Israel, said the administration would respond to the Israeli government’s actions rather than coalition agreements that may not materialize.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu has told us over and over again that he is in power and wants to be the prime minister of all,” he said in an interview. “He is a very talented and experienced prime minister. We want to work closely with him on the common values we share and at the moment not be distracted by others. So the focus is on the prime minister and the prime minister’s office.”
Another concern for many Jews in the United States, who identify more with liberal streams of Judaism, is the new government’s policies on religion, which place more importance on the strict requirements of Official religion. Particularly distressing for many Jews outside Israel, the coalition has promised to limit the Repatriation Law, which now grants asylum and automatic citizenship to foreign Jews, spouses and descendants have at least one Jewish grandparent, although they may not qualify as Jewish. under strict religious law.
Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Coalition for Reform Judaism, the largest Jewish denomination in the United States, said: “We are extremely concerned about this government’s intentions and we are carrying out our word. Their promises and agenda are very serious.
The coalition partners also want to narrow down who is considered legal Jew in the Jewish homeland, he said. The “Who is a Jew” debate has surfaced before, but this time, Rabbi Jacobs said, radical Israelis who have excluded them from the establishment in the past hold key positions. key in government.
“Israel cannot decide alone,” he said of Jewish identity. “In a sense, these policies are meant to push us away. But as a result we will work even harder for the importance of the state of Israel in all of our lives.”
Hundreds of American rabbis have signed an open agreement letters oppose the government’s proposals.
The new government’s policies could also have an impact on Arab countries, even as Israel in recent years has strengthened its diplomatic ties with countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco.
King Abdullah II of Jordan said in a interview told CNN on Wednesday that he is “ready to enter into a conflict” if Israel tries – as some coalition members hope – to change the status of Jerusalem’s holy site, revered by Muslims and Jews. glasses, where Jordan has custody. Jordan and Israel signed a peace treaty in 1994.
Mr. Netanyahu’s conservative Likud party has highlighted parts of the government’s policy to strengthen and expand Israel’s peace and normalization agreements with Arab countries, and he has spoken of Saudi Arabia as your next goal.
But other articles in the alliance’s foundation talk about advancing Israel’s sovereignty in the West Bank and continuing to fortify the Jewish settlement in the heart of what Palestinians have come to regard as their state. .
Bezalel Smotrich, the new extremism finance minister who ultimately wants to annex the West Bank, will also hold the post of minister in the department of defense responsible for the agencies that handle the construction of settlements Jews and civilian life in the occupied territories. That is likely to increase tensions with Israel’s allies abroad, who value preserving the two-state option.
Daniel B. Shapiro, a former US ambassador to Israel and now a fellow at the Atlantic Council, said the Biden administration “will do everything it can to minimize friction and focus on areas that have already been reached.” agreed upon. “But friction will not be entirely avoided over issues concerning the Palestinians, the future of the two countries and possibly holy sites, and the status of Arab citizens in Israel.”
European allies have so far taken a wait-and-see stance similar to the Biden administration. Christofer Burger, a spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry in Berlin, said on Wednesday that bilateral relations with Israel “remain unchanged”.
But he noted Israel’s plan to retroactively allow settlements in the West Bank to be built without government permission, saying: “We hope the new Israeli government will refrain from such actions.” Such unilateral action would undermine the basis of the negotiated two-state solution.”
Some Israeli diplomats have taken a stand against the new government. Israel’s ambassador to France, Yael German, resigned on Thursday, stating in letter that she can “no longer continue to represent policies that are radically different from all that I believe in.”
And more than a hundred retired Israeli ambassadors and senior State Department officials took the extraordinary step of signing a letter to Mr Netanyahu this week expressing their “deep concern”. on the potential to damage Israel’s strategic relationships.
Jeremy Issacharoff, a signatory and former ambassador to Germany, said: “The letter is not politically motivated but was written out of a practical concern about how you prevent undermining Israel’s position in the world. international School.
For many Palestinians, the hardline government is merely exposing what they have said about Israel’s true intentions.
Husam Zomlot, Palestinian ambassador to the UK, said: “The agenda for the annexation of Jewish supremacy is now very straightforward and clear. “The two-state solution was never a Palestinian request, but an international demand that we accepted,” he said. Now, openly, this government does not endorse the idea of zoning. That is the focus of it.”
Israel’s new national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvirwho has been convicted of inciting racism and supporting a terrorist group, has been given additional powers over the police and additional forces to fight crime in the Arab community.
The union has also announced it will amend existing anti-discrimination laws, which apply to businesses and service providers, to allow them to refuse to provide services contrary to their religious beliefs in a manner that which critics say could lead to discrimination against the LGBTQ community or others.
Mr. Netanyahu appeared to address that fear through Amir Ohana, a Likud member who on Thursday became the first openly gay speaker of Parliament, and thanked his spouse and two children. their children from the podium to speak during the inauguration. Mr. Netanyahu made the point when he was photographed sitting next to Mr. Ohana and his family during the ensuing barbecue.
However, an extremely conservative, anti-gay minister has been given a lot of power over some of the programs taught in public schools, and the ultra-Orthodox parties in the coalition have secured funding. abundant support for adults who choose to study the Torah full-time instead of working.
“This is unlike anything we’ve seen before,” said Shapiro, a former US ambassador. The majority of the coalition and many of its dominant members have plenty of leverage over the prime minister to subscribe to a worldview that defines issues of national and Jewish identity, religion, the state and democracy that do not like any previous right-wing government of Israel.
Jim Tankersley Reporting contributions from St. Croix, US Virgin Islands.
