Israeli PM Netanyahu Ousted by Coalition Bent on Appeasing "Palestinians"

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving leader, was just “ousted” from his office of prime minister by a coalition government that includes an Arab faction.

The New York Post reports on what happened Sunday:

“[T]he Knesset, Israel’s parliament, voted to form a new government made up of a coalition of opposition groups pledging to heal caustic divisions. . .

Netanyahu had failed to form a government after a March 23 election — the fourth in two years — and could not block the power-sharing agreement between the groups, headed by his former defense minister Naftali Bennett and opposition leader Yair Lapid.

Bennett and Lapid will each serve two years as prime minister on a rotating basis.

Bennett was sworn in immediately after the 60-59 vote. Lapid will replace him in 2023.

Netanyahu, 71, who has been prime minister since 2009 and previously held the post from 1996 to 1999, vowed ‘we’ll be back.’

‘If it is destined for us to be in the opposition, we will do it with our backs straight until we topple this dangerous government and return to lead the country in our way,’ he said.”

Otzma Yehudit party leader Itamar Ben Gvir is escorted out by security as he protests during the speech of designated prime minister Naftali Bennett. Courtesy of NY Post.

It is asserted in the NY Post article that opposition to Netanyahu is largely “personal,” not political. It is seems to me that there are some politics involved, however, since “a small Islamist faction” is “making history as the first Arab party to sit in a coalition,” and the coalition is seeking “to reduce tensions with the Palestinians and maintain good relations with the U.S. without launching any major initiatives.” Not only that, Bennett, the new prime minister, promised a “new page” in relations with the “Arab sector” of Israel.

“Naftali [Bennett] said the new government would ‘end a terrible period of hatred among the people of Israel’ in a speech that prompted shouts of ‘shame’ and ‘liar’ from Netanyahu’s supporters.”

Another interesting fact is that US President Biden seems excited by the change. Considering that Biden has recently pledged hundreds of millions of dollars to the so-called Palestinians, he seems hardly to have the best interests of Israel at heart, and the fact that he is happy to see the old government of Israel go tells you something about the new government.

“In a statement, President Biden praised Bennett and Lapid and said the US would continue its long relationship with Israel.

‘Israel has no better friend than the United States. The bond that unites our people is evidence of our shared values and decades of close cooperation and as we continue to strengthen our partnership, the United States remains unwavering in its support for Israel’s security,’ Biden said.

The White House later said Biden called Bennett and offered the new prime minister his ‘warm congratulations.’

Biden highlighted his intention to ‘deepen cooperation between the United States and Israel on the many challenges and opportunities facing the region,’ the White House said.

The leaders agreed that they and their teams would consult closely on all matters related to regional security, including Iran, the White House said and to advance ‘peace, security and prosperity’ for Israelis and Palestinians.”

I have three points to make about this political transition in Israel. Firstly, Netanyahu was a strong leader. While I certainly don’t think that everything the Israeli government has done in the last few years is good (certain Covid-19 measures come to mind), I believe he dealt with perpetual attacks from Islamists and anti-Semitic politicians worldwide in a way that consistently put Israel’s interests first.

Secondly, there is altogether too much talk about “Palestinians” in this new government’s plans, and (while I do not want to seem to be discriminating on the basis of religion alone), the fact that the “Arab sector” in the Jewish country of Israel supports the new government should at the very least give us pause. I certainly do not know the personal politics of the Israeli politicians who have just risen to power, but the fact that they keep emphasizing their focus on ending “tensions” with the Palestinians is a red flag.

Islam is fundamentally antithetical to Judaism, and the “Palestinians”—who in fact are not a people at all, but a mixture of those being used as political pawns by terrorist groups like Hamas and people kept out of their own countries, such as Egypt and Jordan, for being political or social liabilities—do not simply want their “rights.” They want Israel wiped off the face of the map. Failed peace efforts over many decades have proven that the “Palestinians” don’t want to make peace with Israel—they want Israel to cease to exist.

Thirdly, while (again) I do not know in detail the political philosophies of the new government’s leaders, the fact that Biden—who has proved himself very much on the side of the “Palestinians” with his recent massive transfer of funds—is excited for the new government does not bode well. Trump and Netanyahu worked well together. It makes sense Biden would be happy to see him go. And if the leader of Israel is now gone under whom historic peace treaties with Muslim nations were brokered—just as Trump, who was the principle arranger of the peace deals, was unfairly ousted—look for more, not less, violence in the near future. Netanyahu is in some sense the Trump of Israel, and we can see what Biden has done to destroy all the good Trump had built up here.

I could not help thinking of Neville Chamberlain, or of the Socialist government that threw out the great Churchill in Britain after WWII. Peace does not occur because you focus on commonalities you share with your enemy or because you show yourself ready for compromise with or kindly disposed to your enemy. If your enemy’s clear goal is to obliterate you, and, if your enemy refuses to make any compromises of his own, he will continue to fight you, no matter how much you appease him.

All in all, though events must play out a little more before a definite judgment can be made, the US should be concerned. Israel is our best ally in the Middle East, and if it ceases to be the bastion it has been, we may be in trouble—and the Jews in their ancient land of Israel may be overwhelmed by Islam once again.