Jerusalem Post: Netanyahu's coalition collapses; Israel heading to elections on April 9th

[Naijaboy]

Um... this is pretty huge news:

https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Israel-headed-to-early-elections-in-April-575277

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the parties in his coalition decided Monday to disperse the Knesset this week and initiate an early general election on April 9, 2019.


Leaders of coalition and opposition parties met with Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein summoned the party heads to formalize the process of dispersing the Knesset and come to an agreed-upon election date.

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While Netanyahu initiated the dissolution, it does give the country a chance to change the landscape. Of course there's the chance that even more right-wing parties form the majority government instead.

 

[KimiNewt]

There's no scenario wherein Netanyahu isn't the next PM. This will just create a larger coalition.

 

[admataY]

Trust Da police .
( you probably shouldn't trust the AG though ) .

 

[Altazor]

Hope they don't turn even further right.. it wouldn't surprise me but it would still be disappointing and terrible.

 

[Blader]

Hope they don't turn even further right.. it wouldn't surprise me but it would still be disappointing and terrible.

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Seems to be the only direction Israel ever moves in.

 

[manchego obfuscator]

There is no meaningful Israeli left anymore. Nothing will change until the politics surrounding Israel overseas change to the point where international pressure is imposed.

 

[TaySan]

Is there any hope for a more left wing government? Netanyahu is going to be the PM regardless.

 

[Ushay]

As much as I've despised Israels general direction, particularly their treatment of the Palestinians, I still believe there are many, many good people there and a more moderate government can come into power.

 

[Juan29.Zapata]

I have no knowledge of Israel politics beyond the fact of the multiple human rights abuses, but is there any left politician who could build a coalition?

 

[Link]

If Netanyahu initiated this, he either knows he can increase his coalition in this climate, or it's rigged. Either way, probably not good news.

 

[Dr. Ludwig]

I have no knowledge of Israel politics beyond the fact of the multiple human rights abuses, but is there any left politician who could build a coalition?

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I'm not completely familiar with Israeli politics but the Israeli left is seen as more incompetent in gathering a strong political base and assembling a coalition. As despicable as Bibi is, he and his Likud party are far more experienced than many of the opposition. So I dont see that much will change.

 

[PlanetSmasher]

Hopefully peace and sanity finally manage to win the day and kick Netanyahu's warmongering ass to the curb. The man is poison.

Somehow I figure this is all another ploy for him to grab even more power, though.

 

[Masterz1337]

I'm not completely familiar with Israeli politics but the Israeli left is seen as more incompetent in gathering a strong political base and assembling a coalition. As despicable as Bibi is, he and his Likud party are far more experienced than many of the opposition. So I dont see that much will change.

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The current government is successful in giving people lots to lose if the country swings left, and tries to bring new citizens into the West Bank which has lots to lose from a 2 state solution or any sort of reform.

 

[AcademicSaucer]

What are the chances someone even more to the right wins?

 

[excelsiorlef]

As much as I've despised Israels general direction, particularly their treatment of the Palestinians, I still believe there are many, many good people there and a more moderate government can come into power.

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Reminder that the response to Rabin's assassination was to elect Netanyahu and move towards the vision of Rabin's assassin.

It's only gotten worse since then

 

['3y Kingdom]

If Netanyahu initiated this, he either knows he can increase his coalition in this climate, or it's rigged. Either way, probably not good news.

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Or he's pulling a Theresa May.

 

[Ushay]

Or he's pulling a Theresa May.

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As much as I hate to complement Natanyahu, he is no where near as incompetent as May. The guy knows how to hold on to power.

 

[zer0blivion]

Netanyahu belongs in the Hague, along with the rest of his government, being tried for war crimes.

 

[VectorPrime]

Netanyahu belongs in the Hague, along with the rest of his government, being tried for war crimes.

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Israel would exercise the Samson Option before they allowed that to happen.

 

[Cocaloch]

People that act like Netanyahu is the problem and not a single symptom are part of the problem itself.

 

[Corky]

People that act like Netanyahu is the problem and not a single symptom are part of the problem itself.

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It's like he forcfully took over either. this guy is liked

 

[VectorPrime]

People that act like Netanyahu is the problem and not a single symptom are part of the problem itself.

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True. The sad fact is that the large majority of Israeli citizens support him and his policies against Palestine. If they didn't he'd have been booted years ago. It's not like Trump who came into power based on a minority of votes and remains historically unpopular.

 

[Cyanity]

Nothing good can come of this.

 

[Ogodei]

As awful as Netanyahu is, he's been keeping the lid on even worse stuff. Get someone like Naftali Benet in and yeesh.

I imagine this scenario being like the most recent Japanese parliamentary elections where the center-left opposition will functionally cease to exist.

 

[sirap]

Remove the people on top and you're still left with citizens that went through years of propaganda and were brainwashed into thinking Palestinians deserve their current treatment.

There's no quick fix to this. It'll have to start from the bottom and I hope the Israelis that oppose this continue to fight and turn things around.

It'll take a lot of reeducation and a (healthy) dose of international pressure and criticism.

 

[BowieZ]

"democratic ally" lol

 

[KimiNewt]

A former General and the former Minister of Security just joined the race - but as separate parties.

So now we have four different small-medium centrist or centrist-left parties, which will undoubtedly will lose to Bibi's Likud.
Perhaps all together they would have a chance, but being in the leading seat is more important to them than the future of the country.

It's a wash. I'd laugh my ass off if meretz ends up being the largest left wing (or centre) party.

 

[UnderNewOwnership]

This smells to me like Bibi planting faux-opposition candidates to dilute the vote.
Personally, I think single-runoff elections with no selective transferable vote are undemocratic.

 

[StrayDog]

Nothing will change.

 

[KimiNewt]

This smells to me like Bibi planting faux-opposition candidates to dilute the vote.
Personally, I think single-runoff elections with no selective transferable vote are undemocratic.

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You're wrong about the faux opposition thing.

Israeli elections aren't single-runoff. Each party receives an amount of mandates corrosponding to the amount of votes. After the election each party recommends a party that will create a coalition, and the president selects one.

That party now has a few days to create a coalition of over 50%, and if they can't it goes to the next party.

Two elections ago Tzipi Livini got one more mandate than Bibi, but was unable to create a coalition so Bibi became prime Minister.

The rest of parties are left in the opposition. Votes aren't "wasted" (like in the US elections) unless a party gets less than the minimal threshold (currently 4%).

 

[tsampikos]

Hope they don't turn even further right.. it wouldn't surprise me but it would still be disappointing and terrible.

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They literally got away with everything they attempted so far. They have no reason not to.

 

[Richter1887]

Hoping for the best but I doubt anything would change.

 

[Karasseram]

Darth Bibious is too devious to be taken down like this.

 

[KimiNewt]

And on the last episode of "Who Can Make the Smallest Party":

The Jewish Home split into two, with a new far-right party "The New Right" headed by Ayelet Shaked and Naftali Bennet. This is a move to distance themselves from the Jewish-religious aspects of the Jewish Home and to attract secular voters (probably mostly from Likud and Israel Beyitenu) and to position themselves as candidates for PM in the next election.

The Zionist Union split back into Labour and HaTnua, in a very weird move. Thus bringing the total of centrist parties to 4-5, depending how you count it.

 

[Dead Man]

You're wrong about the faux opposition thing.

Israeli elections aren't single-runoff. Each party receives an amount of mandates corrosponding to the amount of votes. After the election each party recommends a party that will create a coalition, and the president selects one.

That party now has a few days to create a coalition of over 50%, and if they can't it goes to the next party.

Two elections ago Tzipi Livini got one more mandate than Bibi, but was unable to create a coalition so Bibi became prime Minister.

The rest of parties are left in the opposition. Votes aren't "wasted" (like in the US elections) unless a party gets less than the minimal threshold (currently 4%).

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Thanks for the explanation. Seems an interesting system.

Edit: Shit, didn't notice the tab was open from yesterday, and the thread is even older, apologies for the bump.

 

[Deleted member 43514]

Unless I'm mistaken, the only options forward here is Bibi being PM again if the corruption scandal dosen't sink him, but if he gets elected he won't be prosecuted anyway or Israel becomes even more right wing than it already is.

 

[Deleted member 21012]

I don't agree with the idea that the coalition collapsed, it pretty much agreed on dissolving itself and agreed that no party is leaving the coalition until the elections.

 

[Deleted member 50454]

Netanyahu needs to get in a bin.

 

[Zedelima]

But i thought Israel was doing great (economically and the social aspect)

What happens there?

 

[shadowzinthedark]

Who ever wins the Palestine ppl still loose. Election speeches will be something like "something, something, Hamas" or "something, something, more settlements"

 

[Mivey]

There is no meaningful Israeli left anymore. Nothing will change until the politics surrounding Israel overseas change to the point where international pressure is imposed.

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Wouldn't that just help right wingers even more and delegitimize anyone seen or portrayed as giving in to this pressure (ie. the left).
ultimately, there must be an internal movement from within Israel, which defines different socio-economic views than the existing right wing security mania and convinces people of its own merit.

 

[manchego obfuscator]

Wouldn't that just help right wingers even more and delegitimize anyone seen or portrayed as giving in to this pressure (ie. the left).
ultimately, there must be an internal movement from within Israel, which defines different socio-economic views than the existing right wing security mania and convinces people of its own merit.

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This has been one of the major liberal Zionist arguments against BDS et al. since its inception, and has done absolutely nothing to halt or slow the shift of Israel's domestic politics to the right.

 

[Naijaboy]

Hope they don't turn even further right.. it wouldn't surprise me but it would still be disappointing and terrible.

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Sorry to burst your bubble, but...



Basically Bibi's plan now is to merge what's left with his old party with a far right one and bring along a couple more over the threshold.

 

[Acorn]

Bibi gonna bibi. Does Israel still largely love him?

 

[dude]

Oh, you guys don't even know what's going on here. I mean dear fucking good. Calling it the equivalent of a deal with David Duke is very very apt.

So. In the 80's there was an ultra-right wing party called Cach, which was led by Rabbi Kahana - And they managed to secure one sit in the Knesset. Their official platform was expelling all Arabs from Israel, outlawing marriage and sexual relations between Jews and gentiles - And more. The works. All parties of the Knesset practically boycotted them, even the Likud (mainstream right wing party, Netanyahu's party) walked out on every one of his speeches. His party was eventually outlawed from running to the Knesset, and was later declared a goddamn terrorist organization because one Kahana's disciples shot up a bunch of people in the Cave of the Patriarch massacre.

So, today there's a party ("Jewish Might") made up mostly of Kahana's desciples, and these are the guys Netanyahu is helping get into the Knesset by merging them into the slightly less insane far-right party (The "Jewish Home" party, which are only proto-fascist rather than full on Nazis.) One of their members, Itamar Ben-Gvir, is a lawyer who represented several right-wing Jewish terrorists, and he has a picture of the aforementioned guy who shot up a bunch of people in the Cave of Patriarch in his living room. Another fan fact: Before PM Rabin was a assassinated, he shot a video of himself touching his car saying "we managed to reach his car, we'll reach Rabin too!" (Rabin was assassinated by a far-right Jewish terrorist.)

It should be noted these guys were actually in the Knesset before, around 2006 I think - As part of the National Union party. But back then they were treated only slightly better than Kahana was. Mainstream parties like the Likud embracing Kahanism (even just to make a political alliance) is frightening.

Bibi gonna bibi. Does Israel still largely love him?

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It's a complicated question. In a recent poll, I think 35% of people saw him as most fit to be PM. So, not the majority, but the plurality.
It should be noted he's deep in about 4 criminal investigations regarding bribery as well.

 

[Naijaboy]

Oh, you guys don't even know what's going on here. I mean dear fucking good. Calling it the equivalent of a deal with David Duke is very very apt.

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Yikes. So what you're saying is that basically Bibi is trying to merge all the right-wing parties into one party. Are there even any right-wing parties to the left or right of him outside of the coalition?

 

[Naijaboy]

The opposition responds.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/after...agree-party-merger-in-challenge-to-netanyahu/

 

[jeelybeans]

Oh, you guys don't even know what's going on here. I mean dear fucking good. Calling it the equivalent of a deal with David Duke is very very apt.

So. In the 80's there was an ultra-right wing party called Cach, which was led by Rabbi Kahana - And they managed to secure one sit in the Knesset. Their official platform was expelling all Arabs from Israel, outlawing marriage and sexual relations between Jews and gentiles - And more. The works. All parties of the Knesset practically boycotted them, even the Likud (mainstream right wing party, Netanyahu's party) walked out on every one of his speeches. His party was eventually outlawed from running to the Knesset, and was later declared a goddamn terrorist organization because one Kahana's disciples shot up a bunch of people in the Cave of the Patriarch massacre.

So, today there's a party ("Jewish Might") made up mostly of Kahana's desciples, and these are the guys Netanyahu is helping get into the Knesset by merging them into the slightly less insane far-right party (The "Jewish Home" party, which are only proto-fascist rather than full on Nazis.) One of their members, Itamar Ben-Gvir, is a lawyer who represented several right-wing Jewish terrorists, and he has a picture of the aforementioned guy who shot up a bunch of people in the Cave of Patriarch in his living room. Another fan fact: Before PM Rabin was a assassinated, he shot a video of himself touching his car saying "we managed to reach his car, we'll reach Rabin too!" (Rabin was assassinated by a far-right Jewish terrorist.)

It should be noted these guys were actually in the Knesset before, around 2006 I think - As part of the National Union party. But back then they were treated only slightly better than Kahana was. Mainstream parties like the Likud embracing Kahanism (even just to make a political alliance) is frightening.


It's a complicated question. In a recent poll, I think 35% of people saw him as most fit to be PM. So, not the majority, but the plurality.
It should be noted he's deep in about 4 criminal investigations regarding bribery as well.

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I'm sorry but at some point some sort of international force needs to invade Israel at this point. There will be full on genocide/extermination of the Palestinian people in our lifetimes for sure.

 

[Typhon]

I'm sorry but at some point some sort of international force needs to invade Israel at this point. There will be full on genocide/extermination of the Palestinian people in our lifetimes for sure.

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You know Israel has nukes right? Sanctions are a much better idea.

 

[KimiNewt]

I'm sorry but at some point some sort of international force needs to invade Israel at this point. There will be full on genocide/extermination of the Palestinian people in our lifetimes for sure.

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lolwut

Yikes. So what you're saying is that basically Bibi is trying to merge all the right-wing parties into one party. Are there even any right-wing parties to the left or right of him outside of the coalition?

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No. Please read my earlier explanation (or go to wikipedia) about how Israel's electoral system works:

You're wrong about the faux opposition thing.

Israeli elections aren't single-runoff. Each party receives an amount of mandates corrosponding to the amount of votes. After the election each party recommends a party that will create a coalition, and the president selects one.

That party now has a few days to create a majority coalition, and if they can't it goes to the next party.

Two elections ago Tzipi Livini got one more mandate than Bibi, but was unable to create a coalition so Bibi became prime Minister.

The rest of parties are left in the opposition. Votes aren't "wasted" (like in the US elections) unless a party gets less than the minimal threshold (currently 4 seats).

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So basically, they were afraid that The Jewish Home would get less than 4 seats and thus their seats would be wasted and go evenly to all parties (making it very hard for Bibi to create a coalition) so he urged them to unite with the National Union and Jewish Power (I think that's a more apt translation as it accurately conveys what they're about). This is also happening with a left/centre party called Gesher, who will probably not scrape 4 seats.

The Jewish Home is proclaiming the ludicrous notion that the union is a "technical one". That they don't share their beliefs and they're just doing it to avoid a left-wing government. But the fact remains that a vote for the Jewish Home is now a vote for Jewish Power. This might take some voters away from them and over to the still-pretty-fascist New Right or to the Likud.