Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s current far-right coalition seems to be destined to fall very soon. His goal now is no longer saving the coalition without Avigdor Lieberman, but rather to last another six weeks, and try to get elections set for late March or early April. Netanyahu now is not only prime minister and head of Likud party, he also is the acting foreign and defense minister, meaning he holds the top three positions within the Israeli government.
The coalition will be collapsing chiefly because of anger over the brief Gaza clash, and the quick ceasefire declared, with hawkish members objecting to a quick ceasefire when they wanted a longer, more decisive war.
Another major issue now is the distribution of power within the coalition. With Lieberman’s resignation, Netanyahu has declined to give Naftali Bennett the defense portfolio, and will be keeping it for himself.
While Netanyahu’s Likud Party is the main member of the coalition, having it keep all these top positions, let alone allowing Netanyahu to personally keep them all, is virtually unheard of.
It’s like that one episode of I Love Lucy where the town sheriff is also the town judge and the mayor. Lol
uh huh – with Tennessee Ernie Ford.
Denying Bennett the DM post was critical to keeping the uber-hawks out.
Netanyahu seems panicked. I think he realizes the damage people like Bennett an Shaked would do to Israel if they were to gain more power. These are the folks that openly call for wiping out the Palestinians.
From a certain perspective, those people taking power might actually be the best thing. It would, with some finality, rip the mask off the hasbara when they get on the MSM and say things like, “Mothers of all Palestinians should be killed” or “I killed many Arabs and there’s no problem with that”…
King Bibi the first?
50 years plus of occupation have led directly to this point. You cannot be a jailor and not be a tyrant.
The submarine issue is surfacing? Rats deserting a sinking ship to better position themselves for an election they forced.
Actually this is the longest israel has lasted without tearing itself apart in its history. But here we are now,repeating history…love it.
Pogo was right
The real election to decide the directions USA should take is going to take place now, in Israel. Whatever happens in the USA in the name elections are all sham.Who ever wins there, be it Republicans, Democrats, Clinton, Trump does not matter.Israel is always the winner. Yes, in this month’s elections also.Now Israelis are going to decide who should rule USA. Netinyahu himself, Bennet, Liberman or some one else.
One month later and all the doomsday trolls have been proven wrong once again.