TOI staff
Times of Israel, Dec. 28, 2022
“The coalition guidelines also pledge that Israel under the new government will “continue the struggle against Iran’s nuclear program”; “promote peace with all our neighbors while preserving Israel’s security, historical and national interests”; promote social justice, reduce the cost of living and combat poverty; seek to boost Jewish immigration; prioritize education; and fight a deadly crime wave in the Arab sector.”
Incoming prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu finalized his right-religious coalition on Wednesday, setting out government guidelines that stressed the Jewish people’s “exclusive and inalienable right to all parts of the Land of Israel” and vowing to bolster the settlement of “the Galilee, the Negev, the Golan and Judea and Samaria” (the West Bank).
Ahead of the new government’s scheduled swearing-in ceremony at the Knesset on Thursday, Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party also signed coalition deals with its two ultra-Orthodox partners, Shas and United Torah Judaism, as well as with the far-right Religious Zionism, Otzma Yehudit and Noam parties. Together, the 64-strong coalition in the 120-member Knesset represents the most hardline right-wing government in the 75-year history of modern Israel.
Two of the coalition agreements provide for legislation that would allow service providers to refuse service on the grounds of their religious beliefs — a legislative initiative seen by critics as legalizing discrimination against LGBTQ people and other targeted sectors. Plans for such legislation — which one incoming minister from Religious Zionism said could enable doctors to refuse treatment, and another said could enable a hotel to refuse service to gay people — have sparked public expressions of concern by President Isaac Herzog, among others.
Netanyahu promised this week to prevent discrimination, but the clause remained in the agreements. He has also vowed that LGBTQ rights will not be harmed, and that Israel’s democracy will be protected.
In its separate coalition deal with the Religious Zionism party, Netanyahu’s Likud committed in principle to annexing the West Bank. Israeli sovereignty will be “extended to Judea and Samaria,” the non-binding agreement states, subject to the prime minister’s considerations regarding “timing, and the weighing of the national and international interests of the State of Israel.” In that agreement, Netanyahu also pledges to legalize settlement outposts currently considered illegal by the Israeli government. … [To read the full article, click here]
