Israel/Palestine
Related: About this forumIsrael Leader Appeals for Right-Wing Votes
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appealed in a rare interview on Sunday to his right-wing base to cast ballots for his list, rather than hawkish alternatives, to prevent his being unseated by a potential center-left coalition.
His appeal reflects developments in recent weeks that have left Netanyahu more vulnerable ahead of Jan. 22 elections: the emergence of a charismatic new, pro-settler leader; blistering criticism of his leadership by a respected former security chief; and over the weekend, feelers by three center-left parties to unite ahead of the elections to form a bloc that would vie to form the next government.
Still, he does not seem to be in real danger of losing the premiership in the upcoming balloting, so it's not clear whether his comments reflected genuine nervousness or whether he was using the center-left unity talk to prod likeminded Israelis to rally around his hardline flag.
In interviews to Israel Radio and Army Radio, Netanyahu went on the attack against exploratory contacts among three of his adversaries to form a bloc that would pose a stiffer challenge to his leadership.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/israel-leader-appeals-wing-votes-18142234
Scurrilous
(38,687 posts)<snip>
"I met four 18-year-olds at the third annual Conference for the Application of Israeli Sovereignty Over Judea and Samaria yesterday: Noah, Hallel, Sarah, and Lilach. Three of them do national service together in Kiryat Arba, a settlement nestled right next to the ancient city of Hebron. They were excited: they were voting for the first time. I was nervous: who were they voting for? As it turned out, they were debating just that. And their debate was totally unremarkable.
The conference was hugethere were some 800 people there. I overheard one of the organizers telling people they couldnt go in; they had to allow those who had registered weeks ago to take their seats first. The venue was beautifula fancy conference hall in a modern, well-lit Bayit Vagan hotel. And the food was abundant: coffee, juice, and pastries lined the hallways. If you wanted one, you could get a set of headphones that would provide you with simultaneous translation, and there were no shortage of those who took advantage of thisa majority of attendants were American immigrants. If I were a politician, I would have felt honored to speak here, and I would have hoped they ask me every year.
When I asked Noah and Hallel who they were going to vote for, they were pretty sure: Naftali Bennetts Jewish Home. Sarah, and Lilach who I talked to later (I remembered her from the Kahane memorial a few weeks ago), were both torn between the Jewish Home and Strong Israel. Let me explain what I think their consideration was about.
A bit of background: Towards the end of this year, the National Union Party, a coalition of four tiny right-wing nationalist partiesMoledet, Hatikva, Eretz Yisrael Shelanu, and Tkumabroke up. Moledet and Tkuma merged with Naftali Bennets Jewish Home and Hatikva (Arieh Eldad) and Eretz Yisrael Shelanu (Michael Ben Ari) formed a new party, which is a replica of Meir Kahanes Kach in all but name (and tiny bits of its platform). Its called Strong Israel.
So to put all of this in a little more context, the choice these girls were facing was between the following: On the one hand, Naftali Bennetts party, represented at the conference by his number four, Rabbi Eli Ben Dahan, one of the hangers-on from the National Union merger, a student of Rav Tzvi Yehuda Kook who's flatly against same-sex marriage, who ran the Rabbinical court system for 20 years, thinks its time to repeal Oslo, but who is otherwise considered fairly liberal on social issues. In other words, old hat religious racism, but still land-maximizing (a safe, if banal choice). And on the other hand, Michael Ben Ari, who recently tried to burn a Palestinian flag, attempted to appeal a Supreme Court ban on one of his campaign ads (LoyaltyNo Rights Without Duties), and, according to Foreign Policy, carries a copy of Meir Kahanes biography around with him. In other words, another sensible option land-wise, but sometimes not so media-friendly (fascist tendencies and all). All of this is to say that, for these girls, both of these options are run-of-the-mill: the choice is about which right feels right."
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/01/02/israeli-right-chooses-between-ultra-nationalists.html
bemildred
(90,061 posts)The year of the four emperors, Vespasian, Titus, the Great Jewish Rebellion. Amazing stuff, and to think it could happen again. I wasn't reading if because of that, but the coincidence smacks me in the head here.
I am stunned when I think that these shallow assholes I am reading about are viewed as models by the political classes.
An excellect read, BTW, Tacitus kicks ass, and the translation too.