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Something Crazy Is Happening in Israel: Ideological Opposites May Unite

The anti-Bibi block is so fervent it’s willing to overlook deeply entrenched ideological differences.
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April 27, 2021
Yair Lapid (R) and Naftali Bennett embrace during a swearing-in ceremony at the Knesset, on March 18, 2013 in Jerusalem, Israel. (Photo by Uriel Sinai/Getty Images)

We’re so used to vicious partisanship and “divide and conquer” politics in Israel that it’s easy to overlook a rare development: Political parties from the hard right and the hard left are considering joining the same coalition.

I would have bet on the Messiah showing up before seeing right-wing hawks like Naftali Bennett (Yamina) and Gideon Saar (New Hope) possibly joining a coalition with a leftist party like Meretz. And yet, that is precisely what’s happening.

It goes to show you the unifying power of opposing Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu. The anti-Bibi block is so fervent it’s willing to overlook deeply entrenched ideological differences.

Bibi’s problem is as follows: Even if Bennett brings his seven seats to the right-wing block, he will still be two seats short of a 61 majority. Bibi’s only options to get over the hump — luring New Hope (Saar is holding firm to his campaign promise not to join a Bibi government) or an Islamist party into the coalition — have effectively been ruled out.

So, to avoid the fiasco of yet another election (while Bibi remains on his throne), Bennett will negotiate with the anti-Bibi block to try to forge an improbable Coalition of the Disparate — three parties on the right (Yamina, New Hope, Israel Beiteinu), two in the center (Yesh Atid, Blue and White), two on the left (Labor and Meretz) and outside support from Arab parties. They’re even considering luring a Haredi party.

Can they pull off this early Chanukah miracle? First, we can be sure wily Bibi won’t go down without a fight. He still has a week to pull out his bag of tricks. His attempt on Tuesday to appoint a friendly Justice Minister shows how far he’ll go to remain in power.

But assuming things stay as they are, on May 4, President Reuven Rivlin is expected to hand over the mandate to Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid, who by then will have a good idea of whether the anti-Bibi coalition is a reality or a pipe dream.

My cynical side says no way. These parties have stayed away from one another for a reason — their differences are real. You can’t build a sustainable coalition solely around what you are against (in this case, Bibi.) You also need to share things that you are for.

My cynical side says no way…My John Lennon “Imagine” side, however, wonders if this might be a moment of possibility.

My John Lennon “Imagine” side, however, wonders if this might be a moment of possibility. Yes, the parties were forced into this. But who’s to say some good can’t come out of it?

They can focus, for example, on important things that aren’t too controversial, such as fighting the pandemic and rebuilding the economy. That alone would keep the new coalition very busy and represents most of what the average Israeli is looking for.

As far as responding to rockets or other security threats, although there are differences, my sense is that they’re far from insurmountable. Security in Israel is generally a consensus issue. There are significant differences regarding settlements and the Palestinian conflict, but the peace process has been dormant for years, and I’m not sure any coalition would go against the Biden administration regarding settlements.

There are other areas of differences between the Israeli right and left, but my point is this: Because they’re forced to talk seriously about a coalition, these ideological opposites may discover that they have more in common than they think, including trying to figure out what’s best for the country they love.

That’s not nothing.

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