Alex Traiman
JNS, Dec. 29, 2022
“The incoming government is not anti-democratic. The incoming government is most certainly anti-progressive.”
Israel inducted a historic right-wing government Thursday, led by three-time Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu’s return to power and the formation of a strong right-wing government is a tremendous achievement for a nation that has increasingly turned towards the right-wing values of strong security and protecting the Jewish character of the state.
The 64-member Likud-led coalition, joined by Netanyahu’s loyal right-wing and religious allies, puts to bed years of electoral instability wrought by politicians who attempted to will Israel’s longest-serving prime minister out of power. Ultimately it was the voters themselves who tired of prosecutorial and political tricks aimed at removing Netanyahu from office.
In November, the Israeli voters spoke out in resounding fashion, with over 70% voter participation during a fifth consecutive election, to send the destabilizing forces a powerful message: that Israel is overwhelmingly a proud, right-wing, nationalist country.
The series of five elections had brought the Israeli electoral system to a breaking point. Ending the political standoff proved to be a battle of wills. …SOURCE