The Mediterranean country of Israel is one of the strongest and most influential countries in the world. Yet, its complicated political system is a recipe for instability. As it moves to the fifth election in mere three years, here is an insight into its recent instability.
For a country that has always remained at the forefront of global politics, Israel’s politics is tinged with instability. Thanks to its proportionate representation system, no single political party can achieve a simple majority of 61. The Knesset is made up of 120 seats, which gives a lot of negotiation power to its members. After Naftali Bennett’s resignation and Yair Lapid’s ascension to power reflect its stance on religion and issues that define Israel.
The political parties of Israel
The Knesset has 120 seats to replicate the 120 seats in the ancient Israeli parliament. Israel’s population is quite diverse and naturally so is its political spectrum. Unlike other major powers which have a two-party system, Israel has a multi-party system. It represents the number or the array of people in the country.
The party that dominates Israeli politics is Netanyahu’s Likud, which appeals to right-wing nationalism. The biggest rival to Likud is Yesh Atid, with Yair Lapid as its leader. According to Lapid, his party is inclined towards the centre right but in actuality, it is centre-left according to some observers. Naftali Benett’s Yamina is also liberal.
Other parties include United Torah Judaism, Yisrael Beiteinu, which includes the Jewish people from the former USSR, the pro-Palestinian joint list, etc.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s exit
After the iconic Ben Gurion, Netanyahu is the only Israeli Prime Minister to have stayed in power for so long (15 years). It was his resignation from the office that set into motion the events between 2021 and the present day.
What brought Netanyahu down were the corruption charges levied against him. Between November 21 and October 2019, charges were levied on Netanyahu for breach of trust, bribery and even fraud.
The charges against him led his allies to withdraw their support and he ended up stepping down from the post
Naftali Bennett’s blunders
If there is one thing that defines Israel is its dedication to the Jewish cause. The founding idea behind Israel was to establish a democratic Jewish state. Hence, it is no wonder that the idea of secularism and liberalism is always under heavy scrutiny in the country. Bennett, coming from this very liberal background made certain mistakes that have cost him his career.
Being a Jewish state, Kosher holds a lot of significance for the Israeli people. It requires the Jews to refrain from eating certain kinds of food. In the recent row during Passover, Nitzan Horowitz, the health minister in Bennett’s government gave a green light to bring leavened bread to hospitals, following the Supreme Court’s orders. This move, prompted Idit Silman, chief whip of the coalition, to withdraw her support from the coalition and bring down the majority.
Moreover, this coalition had also ruffled some feathers of Israel’s clergy which is not only deeply intertwined with the society but is also very powerful. Bennett’s government was in the favour of removing gender segregation from the holy site of the Wailing Wall, the holiest place for Jews all around the world. The Wall still has gender-based segregation in place. Needless to say, this did not sit well with the right-winged nationalists, rabbis and Zionists.
After all this, one thing is clear, religion runs Israel and touching it will definitely mean an exit. It is evident from the fact that according to certain polls conducted by the Israeli media, Bennett will not be able to win a single seat in future elections. Now, it’s up to Lapid to pull Israel through this period of instability till November. However, looking at Israel’s past record, another change of authority before November would not be surprising.
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