Netanyahu’s extreme alliance is here – Israel’s democracy fears are rising After a dispute: Chinese President Xi is closing in on Australia

Prime Ministerial candidate Benjamin Netanyahu has completed his comeback seven weeks after his clear victory in Israel’s parliamentary elections. The 73-year-old informed President Izchak Herzog shortly before the deadline on Wednesday evening that he had succeeded in forming a government.

The former prime minister is also counting on right-wing extremists for his return to power after a year and a half in the opposition. The new government’s radical reform plans raise concerns about the future of democracy in Israel.

Right-wing allies want to weaken the judicial system

In addition to Netanyahu’s right-wing conservative Likud party, the far-right Religious-Zionist Alliance and two strictly religious parties will be represented in the coalition. It is the most right-wing government Israel has ever had. Part of the alliance is also an openly homophobic politician.

The new government wants to make sweeping political changes – which could also play into the hands of Netanyahu in his current corruption trial. A number of controversial legislative changes have already been implemented that are seen as a condition for a joint coalition agreement.

The new cabinet also wants to introduce a so-called bridging clause. This would allow a majority of the Knesset to pass laws even if the Supreme Court finds them illegal. Before the new government is sworn in, a change in the law is planned that will allow the leader of the strictly religious Schas party, Arie Deri, to become Minister of the Interior despite his conviction for tax violations.

Israeli government legal adviser Galit Baharav-Miara called on citizens to be vigilant in a sensational speech. The reform the new government is pushing for, which it described as “lightning legislation”, jeopardizes the country’s democratic system. Without an independent judiciary, Israel would be “a democracy in name but not in essence,” she warned.

Netanyahu seeks reconciliation

Netanyahu, on the other hand, is a statesman and tries to allay concerns. In view of his controversial coalition partners, he emphasized in an interview with an American radio station that he is the one who sets the direction for the government. “You join me. I’m not joining them.”

Ironically, the right-wing conservative Netanyahu is probably the most liberal politician in his own government, said a researcher at Haifa University’s Minerva Center, which studies the state of the judiciary under extreme circumstances.

His camp won 64 of 120 seats in the November 1 elections. It was Israel’s fifth election in three and a half years. No one has been in office longer than Netanyahu in Israel’s history. He was prime minister from 1996 to 1999, then again continuously from 2009 to 2021.

With his replacement last year, the era of Netanyahu, known in Israel as the “sorcerer” for his political prowess to survive, was considered over for now. However, the shaky eight-party coalition of his successors fell apart in June over internal disputes. Outgoing Prime Minister Jair Lapid’s Liberal Future Party came second in the election with 24 seats.

Israeli settlements must be strengthened

Bezalel Smotrich of the far-right Religious Zionist Party is also considered a staunch advocate of settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank. He himself will become finance minister, but his party must also have a strong influence on the governance of the West Bank in the future. Smotrich wants to legalize more Israeli settlements.

Itamar Ben-Gvir, convicted of supporting a terrorist organization, becomes Minister of National Security. He wants to gain more influence over the police by changing the law. He would also be responsible for the border police, which is mainly active in the West Bank. This means “direct control by a minister whose ideology is clearly racist and anti-Palestinian,” explained Alexandre Kedar, a law professor at the University of Haifa.

The leader of Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Jihia al-Sinwar, has accused the new government of seeking a “religious war”. He spoke of an “open confrontation” and called on President Mahmoud Abbas’ more moderate Palestinian Authority in the West Bank to end security cooperation with Israel.

Representatives of high-tech warn of economic damage

In an open letter to Netanyahu, leading figures in Israel’s successful high-tech sector have warned of the devastating effects on the economy. Their concern: weakening Israeli democracy could deter foreign investors and harm the IT sector in particular. The dynamic start-up scene is considered the main driver of the Israeli economy. (sda/dpa)