Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government has wasted no time implementing its ultra-nationalist agenda, including adopting a ban on displaying the Palestinian flag and a proposed legal assault on the Supreme Court.
Some of the steps have hit the Palestinians hard, such as withholding some $40 million in tax revenues and instead using the money to compensate Israeli victims of Palestinian violence. There are also plans to halt development in Palestinian villages in Israeli-controlled parts of the West Bank.
Thousands of Israelis joined a demonstration over the weekend against the proposed legal overhaul, and former Supreme Court President Aharon Barak warned that the plan would turn Israel into a “hollow democracy.” Benny Gantz, a former defense minister who now sits in the opposition, warned Monday that Netanyahu was pushing the country toward “civil war.”The Netanyahu policies are no surprise.
Convicted over a decade ago on incitement and domestic terrorism charges, Ben-Gvir is now a senior Cabinet minister overseeing the national police force. His partner, the hard-linerADVERTISEMENT, was willing to turn over authority to his partners because they share his animosity toward a legal system they believe is elitist and hostile.
Nahum Barnea, a veteran columnist at the Yediot Ahronot daily newspaper, said Netanyahu appears to be “testing the waters” by allowing his partners to promote their hard-line policies while he tries to deflect international criticism.But he said Netanyahu will face problems reining in his coalition partners “because he doesn’t have partners for a more moderate policy.”
Such proposals will almost guarantee a showdown with the U.S., the Palestinians and the broader international community. The West Bank already is in the midst of its deadliest burst of violence in nearly two decades.
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