The Political Deadlock Has Not Yet Been Resolved: Yair Lapid has five more days (until Wednesday midnight) to try and establish a coalition, before his mandate ends. If he fails, a fifth round of elections will be that much closer.
One of the key actors is a right-wing party, Yamina, whose leader, Naftali Bennet is under enormous pressure coming from the extreme right, demanding that he not join the “camp for change” (the anti-Netanyahu camp), and agree to join Likud and Netanyahu’s coalition. It is important to say in this context, that even if he does, Netanyahu still will not have the needed majority of 61 votes to establish a valid coalition. On the other side of the aisle they don’t have the majority either. And this is the exact deadlock.
In a two-day stop, Anthony Blinken the USA Secretary of State, visited Israel and the Palestinian Authority this week. He announced that the US will re-open its consulate in East Jerusalem that served the Palestinians, and was closed when President Trump moved the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Meanwhile it was publicized that Israeli, Hamas and Egyptian representatives will meet in Cairo to try and reach a long term ceasefire between Hamas and Israel in Gaza.
The Israeli press attempted to evaluate the results and achievements of the military campaign in Gaza and the majority of the analysts agreed that Hamas managed to maintain its’ power, while Israel tried to gain deterrence. Hamas was trying to strengthen its’ position as the savior and protector of Jerusalem as the holy place for Muslims. The foreign press was allowed into Gaza after the ceasefire took effect and the international media was flooded with images and stories of the sixty seven Palestinian children who were killed during the military operation as well as images of the heavy destruction in Gaza.
At the same time, the unrest in Jerusalem is not over. The issue of the eviction of tens of Palestinian families from their homes in East Jerusalem is still very much valid, and the cases are being discussed in the district court of Jerusalem. In an interview with an Israeli journalist, Blinken said that in meeting with senior officials in the Israeli government, he voiced his concern, that the eviction of Palestinian families from The East Jerusalem area of Sheikh Jarrah, or further tensions on the Temple Mount may lead to the eruption of another cycle of violence, and even war.
A Cable Car Crash in Northern Italy Made Headlines in Israel As Five of the 14 People Who died There Were from One Israeli Family. They Were Brought to Israel for Burial: while the sole family member who survived the crash, 5-year-old Eitan, remains in serious yet stable condition at a Turin hospital. He lost his parents, Amit, and Tal Biran, his 2-year-old brother, Tom, and his maternal great grandparents Isaac and Barbara Cohen in the crash. Three people, including the owner and lead engineer of the cable car company, were arrested and accused of manslaughter, having made a conscious decision to deactivate the emergency brake of the cable car, which resulted in the tragic deaths of 14 people.
A Month After the Mt Meron Crowd Crush, The Knesset Arrangements Committee Approved A Fast Legislative Process For the Establishment of a State Commission of Inquiry into the events that resulted in the deaths of 45 men and boys during a religious pilgrimage. The legislative initiative was brought by Yair Lapid, chair of Yesh Atid party, echoing a broad public call for the establishment of such a committee, and supported by families of the victims. Members of the Arrangements Committee from the Haredi and Likud parties, who voted against the motion, came under public criticism for putting political and personal considerations ahead of the public interest.
With Only A Few Days Remaining for The Knesset to Vote on A New President, The Two Remaining Candidates Are A Seasoned Politician and A National Religious Educator: Isaac Herzog, Chair of the Jewish Agency, former Chair of the Labor party and former minister is running against Miriam Peretz, a national religious educator and former school principal, a bereaved mother who lost two sons in battle. The public discourse points out that Herzog is a privileged Ashkenazi (white) male, whose father served as president years ago, and his grandfather was the chief Rabbi of the UK. His rival is a Sephardic woman, who enjoys wide public support, despite, perhaps because of, her lack of experience in politics. While the position is mostly ceremonial, the president of Israel has the power to pardon or commute the sentences of prisoners serving a jail sentence. While the public debate around the two candidates did touch on their political experience and gender, the key question on analysts minds is whether either, if elected, will grant PM Netanyahu clemency if he is convicted.
For further reading:
On long term ceasefire: Here, here,
Cable car crash: Here, here, and here
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