By Ted Belman
Haaretz published an article yesterday which suggested that Herzog should approach Kahlon to form a left wing coalition which included the Arab Joint list. This coalition would have 63 seats. It even suggested that Kahlon should also be offered a rotating premiership.
Given that Kahlon wants lower the cost of living and housing, protect the High Court and withdraw from most of J&S, there would not be ideological problems.
Bibi knows this is a real possibility. He is trying to cut his first deal with Kahlon. They are close. Once that deal is done, he can focus on the other parties. He can cut a deal with Liberman who wants to be Foreign Minister again, wants the death penalties for convicted terrorists and wants to retain the draft law. All this Bibi can agree to even if Shas is not happy. Shas is not needed to form a right wing government. Liberman also wants a commitment to destroy Hamas in next Hamas war.
Finally, if Shas is ignored, Bibi can give Bennett the Religious affairs portfolio which he really wants. A deal will have to be cut for lifting the construction freeze and perhaps embracing the Levy report. This will remove some power from the Defense Minister who controls J&S presently. That would make it less important for Bennett to be Defense Minister.
I believe that Bibi will form such a right wing government.
Could be that BB has outsmarted himself again….BB hates his coalition partners and they all hate him. BB doesn’t trust any of his coalition partners and none trust him…BB does not want to be shacked politically or diplomatically and hsi current partners in the potential coalition are for him his nightmare. He wants Labor in at all costs and there was talk a few weeks before the elections of a deal between him and Herzog but with out rotation and Livni
BB has now less than 2 weeks to put it together and i think he overplayed his hand and It might fall apart on him. I hate him so much I almost wish he fails….
In the last minute they will cobble together the coalition of 67 (right wing, religious + Kulanu). No government will be formed with Arab list (even Kahlon would not do this). Never mind the Arab list would not join a government with a party by the name of Zionist Union. HaAretz is really how do I put this (complete full of it up to their nostrils)
Ted, I sincerely hope your expectations of a true right-wing nationalist government are borne out. Take due and appropriate note that I use here the verb “hope”, which in this case, and regarding this issue, is as close as I can prudently approach the verb “expect”.
The chinoiseries involved in formation of most if no all Israeli governments speak poorly both of democracy in general and the common sense of the political leadership elites in particular.
Arnold Harris
Mount Horeb WI
Yes! the danger is Iran. The new situation is Iran. The new situation is also post March 8 in Congress.
There has never been any doubt in my mind that the Obama deal on Iran would be rammed through. The only force to stop it is the US Congress. But I look on Congress as merely representing POTENTIAL power. That power lies inside of the great American people, the great American tradition of Free Speech, the great liberties enshrined in the Constitution – itself a consequence of a Great Revolution which followed the Great English Revolution of Cromwell and anticipated the Great French Revolution.
But can the present American capitalist class follow this glory and carry through these great traditions? That is the burning question. I think not. However that question is the one that should be discussed. But it is hard for capitalist ideologues to discuss that. It IS hard to discuss the arrangements for your own funeral.
This a different way of looking at the world than say a Ben Shapiro (very sharp guy in some ways) would do.
The other factor that means that Obama has this deal sewed up is the role of Stalinism. The role of Stalinism is overlooked and it is unfashionable perhaps today to talk in such highly political and “historical” language. Stalin himself and his descendents such as Breznev stopped being socialists a long time ago and they liquidated any who were. They talked socialism but did the opposite. That is essentially what Reagan achieved (all that he achieved) in that he knocked down a teetering (rotting) edifice. But Putin remains somewhat in the same category as the Stalinists. This is why on the Iran issue Putin is in the same category as Obama. What category is that?
Putin fears the reactionary power of US Imperialism linked of course to the EU cartel. Their sodomising of Gadhafi by the agents of this capitalism is at the heart of all of these modern leaders. Without exception. US may be a damaged giant but it is still a giant.
Much of what Putin does today on the world stage is as a reaction against that event (Murder of Gadhafi). The murder of Gadhafi was both a giant mistake but also a giant threat.
A new power control situation in the oil rich Middle East. Iran has the potential power. It is a Fascist regime and prepared to go to any lengths to achieve and hold on to power. Its Shia centre leads straight into Fascism. Fascism is a MODERN development of which Trotsky wrote much but Shia Islam has the potential in the hands of Iran to MORPH into Fascism. It did this in 1979 but it is now being groomed for a new role. Is it not?
ECONOMICS UNDERPINS POLITICS…ALWAYS
A desperate situation in the world. For example Spanish and Irish youth after 7 years cannot be employed…hey they stop being youth! With this the movement to NEW FORMS OF RULE becomes more tan a thought in the secret corridors of power.
One of these new forms of rule is Iranian dominance in the Middle east. With all that that entails!
The deal is camouflage. It talks about ten years. TEN!!!
That is rubbish right there as any youth will tell you. TEN years is forever.
Has Iran not already got Nuclear Bombs? That is more than likely because it is not that difficult. No it is seeking something else. The dominant power in the Middle east – to be that very power. An all out Nuclear power, Rich, dominating the Middle east, dominating the power of Islam.
So for Jews and for Israel this means:
Congress is out! no real hope there!
Russia is out! Is part of the enemy and danger!
These changes in perspective of America are more than just Obama. All of these Presidents from Reagan on to Obama were ALL uneasy about friendship with Israel. So NO hope from any new President. Plus that is two years away. Time changes everything but in our world rapidly!
Europe is Islam on Steroids. The European capitalist class is worst enemy of the Jews. Not one morsel of hope there. Jews leave. Must leave!
China…No … except Confucius overcomes Stalin/Mao and anyhow how progressive is Confucius? Not very.
How can Jews see this situation clearly and act correctly is also the question for all of us, Jew and non-Jew, and is above all the question for the youth and for the working class. who alone possess the ability to fight.
The task for Jews in Israel post election is to unite and prepare the nation to defeat the Iranian Fascism. All other Ministries (etc) are meaningless. It is useless having houses in Judea and Samaria if there are no Jews to put into them anyway (wiped out by Iranian Nuclear Bomb). This fight against Iran must be led by Bennett (he has the energy and smartness) who must fight at the side of Netanyahu in a loyal and not disloyal way on the above programme and on no other programme.
(I am a socialist, Marxist, Trotskyist and I place the fight against Iran at the very centre)
Based on this paragraph from Martin Sherman:
“Vindicated, validated, not yet victorious
The events in Washington in the past few weeks have done much to vindicate and validate Benyamin Netanyahu’s approach to the Iranian issue. For it would be mean-spirited and small-minded not to credit the recent more assertive and muscular attitude of US lawmakers toward the administration, in large measure, to the impact of his rousing March 3 address to Congress – despite massive pressures to call it off.
Further, these developments show how uninformed/misinformed his detractors were when they berated him for resisting these pressures – scornfully but speciously alleging that the Congress cannot affect US foreign policy, since this is the exclusive prerogative of the president, which it clearly is not.”
https://www.israpundit.org/archives/63606074
The gov’t must be G Shock resistant. There are major earthquakes and tsunamis in the forecast and errors in judgement by PM/DM could be fatal. Bennet MUST be empowered to counteract an incompetent Ya’alon.
Netanyahu must get over his fear of Bennet and make him a full partner.
I hope Ted is correct, that Shas will be delegated to sit on the opposition benches with Livni and Hertzog.