He won't be able to make critical decisions

The Israeli coalition clings to power by avoiding points of contention

  • Bennett is unlikely to stop plans to build roads and infrastructure in the West Bank, which are intended to attract more settlers.

    AFP

  • The illegal settlement of Avitar, the settlers agreed to leave, but they will return to it if Israel owns it.

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When Israel's new coalition government failed to secure a temporary amendment to the Citizenship Rights Law, the Knesset roared of joy from unexpected quarters.

Cries of jubilation came from members of the right-wing Likud party, led by former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which previously backed legislation preventing Palestinian citizens from granting citizenship, or residency, to their spouses from the West Bank and Gaza.

"This is the most absurd issue in Israeli politics," said Israeli political commentator Raviv Drucker.

The failure of the vote on the previous amendment is a sign, not of Netanyahu's raging war against the current government, but of the difficulties that the coalition led by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, made up of eight disparate ideological parties, could face in reaching an agreement on policy.

contradictions

Despite the contradictions that have emerged for two months, the new government is expected to be determined to keep Netanyahu at bay, make him fear punishment from voters in a recent poll, and stay in power by avoiding contentious issues, analysts say.

"They agreed not to agree," Drucker said.

Bennett's coalition, which ranges from his ultra-nationalist Yamin party on the far right to Meretz's opposition to the occupation on the left, came to power in May after two years of political paralysis under Netanyahu and four inconclusive elections.

The coalition also includes the Islamic "Raam" party, which is the first Arab party to join the Israeli government in several decades.

Although this party announced its opposition to the citizenship amendment, two of its four members in the Knesset voted in favor of the resolution, while two abstained.

The six Meretz Knesset members supported the amendment, despite years of outspoken criticism.

no alternative

Meretz MK Mossi Ratz believes that his party has no alternative but to be part of the coalition. He added that the party's main goal was to block the path of an "extreme right-wing" coalition headed by Netanyahu, and to avoid "a constitutional crisis again when going to elections without obtaining a result." Exactly, he replied, “They attract us to them and we attract them to us. We will not disagree and they will not change.”

And Bennett, who presents himself as more right-wing than Netanyahu, risks tying his hands with his partners in government, which worries his right-wing allies.

He was a big supporter of settlements in the Palestinian territories, which are considered illegal by most countries in the world.

"Given that all eight parties in the coalition have veto power, nothing will happen, because they will not be able to take decisive decisions," said Oded Revive, governor of the settlement of Efrat, which was established in the West Bank.

no changes

As a result, politicians believe there will be no major policy changes or moves in the stagnant peace process with the Palestinians.

"Accordingly, the government will not be able to make big decisions about the future of the West Bank," Ratz said.

It will not be able to build large settlements, but it will not be able to freeze settlements.”

Given the tendency of Israeli public opinion to the right, Bennett will work to find compromises in favor of the settlers, even if it irritates his coalition partners. Analysts talk about the agreement concluded by the Bennett government with the families of settlers who built an illegal outpost called "Avitar" in the West Bank. They agreed to leave the place, but would return if the Israeli government took possession of the place. At the same time, Israel promised not to destroy it, as it did in other illegal settlement outposts.

It is likely that Bennett will not stop plans to build roads and infrastructure in the West Bank, which are aimed at attracting more settlers, said the former leader of Breaking the Silence, an organization that opposes settlements, Yehuda Shaul.

"One should evaluate this government not in terms of whether it will build thousands of housing units, but in terms of the pace of infrastructure development," Drucker said.

This will form part of Bennett's delicate dance over the coming months, as coalition parties avoid disagreements for fear of the government's collapse and constituents punishing it in a fifth election.

There is a high probability that this government can last for about two or three years.”

The failure of the vote on the previous amendment is a sign not of Netanyahu's raging war against the current government, but of the difficulties that could face the coalition led by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.

• The Israeli government will not be able to make major decisions about the future of the West Bank.

It will not be able to build large settlements, but it will not be able to freeze settlements.

Heba Saleh ■ Financial Times correspondent

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