New Netanyahu government, 'Israel' into oblivion: Foreign Affairs

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Foreign Affairs
12 Nov 2022 16:02

The Foreign Policy wrote that it appears that "Israel" is on the path of a "full right" alliance with four parties pulling Netanyahu further in their ideological direction.

Israeli Benjamin Netanyahu (Associated Press)

The Foreign Affairs reported that "Israel" entered into an unknown phase under the new government after Benjamin Netanyahu won the majority of seats, 64 out of 120.

The magazine reported that the new government would consist of eight parties (right, left, center, and even Islamist), two prime ministers, and, ultimately, irreconcilable ideological divisions.

It pointed out that the situation is inherently unstable, contrary to what Netanyahu and his allies hope, noting that "the exact contours of the new government are not final, but one thing is certain: Israel has entered uncharted territory. The only question is just how far to the right Netanyahu is willing to go."

Right-wing on the rise

According to the magazine, over 50% of Israeli adults now identify as right-wing, including 64% of the Jewish population, which votes at a much higher rate than the country's Arab population. This number has steadily increased in recent years.

On another note, the results were not surprising. The newspaper wrote that the polls had repeatedly predicted that the ultra-nationalist Jewish party was set to jump from 6 to 14 parliamentary seats, which it did. And although this party ran as an amalgam of factions that may not stay together, it currently forms the second-largest list in Netanyahu’s bloc.

Therefore, it appears that "Israel" is on the path of a "full right" alliance with four parties that are pushing Netanyahu further in their ideological direction, becoming the most extreme right-wing government "Israel" has ever known.

The newspaper wrote that foreign policy and the ongoing struggle between Palestine and the Israeli occupation are two crucial areas where the two potential versions of Netanyahu's government will likely only differ slightly from one another and possibly not at all from the outgoing administration.