Protests against Netanyahu’s new government in Israel – US pushes for two-state solution Brexit special rules strengthen Northern Ireland economy

After the swearing in of the new right-wing religious government in Israel, the first protests have already erupted. Hundreds of protesters blocked a highway in Tel Aviv on Thursday night.

They pushed for the rights of the LGBTQ community in Israel. LGBTQ is the English abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer. They fear restrictions after anti-gay statements by coalition members.

Hila Peer, president of the LGBTQ association, said during the protest, according to the Times of Israel: “Darkness has descended on Israel.” The association stressed that it was not ready to become “second-class citizens”.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the right-wing conservative Likud party has said the community has nothing to fear. Amir Ochana of his Likud party became the first openly gay politician to be elected Speaker of Parliament on Thursday. In an emotional speech addressing his parents and husband and their children, Ochana reiterated that no harm would be done to alternative families. However, Israeli media reported that two strictly religious MPs demonstratively lowered their heads during the speech.

Israel’s ambassador to Paris, Jael German, resigned on Thursday in protest at the new government. In a letter to the head of government, she wrote that she could not support the radical reform intentions of Netanyahu’s coalition. She warned of a “danger to the democratic character of Israel and its values”.

The new government was sworn in in parliament on Thursday. It is the most right-wing government Israel has ever had. For the first time, far-right politicians are also represented in the coalition.

The US is pushing for a two-state solution

US President Joe Biden reaffirmed the goal of a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict. His congratulatory message could also be read as a reminder of newly sworn-in right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose coalition wants to continue building Israeli settlements in areas claimed by the Palestinians for a future state. There was no public criticism of Netanyahu from Washington, Berlin or Brussels on Thursday (local time), whose alliance also includes right-wing extremist politicians and deeply religious forces.

Biden is known as an opponent of the Israeli settlement policy, which the administration of his predecessor Donald Trump supported. In his written statement, he said he has been friends with Netanyahu for decades and looks forward to “working together to address the many challenges and opportunities facing Israel and the Middle East, including the threats posed by Iran.”

But in the last sentence of his statement, Biden reiterated a political message that he apparently did not think worth mentioning during Israel’s last change of government in June 2021: “As we have always done during my administration, the United States will continue to support. the two-state solution and oppose policies that jeopardize its viability or run counter to our common interests and values.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also proved that Israel’s most powerful ally has moved away from the Trump era. He stressed that the US-Israel partnership is also based on Israel’s commitment to “democratic principles” and the “vision of peaceful coexistence with its neighbors.” Earlier this month, he had warned of “settlement expansion, moves to annex the West Bank, disrupting the historic status quo of holy sites, destruction (of homes) and forcible evictions, and inciting violence,” without Netanyahu to be mentioned by name.

(yam/sda/dpa)