Israeli General Election (2nd of March, 2020): Madness

[Hnv1]

More people are talking about a unity government in light of the Corona. I think it’s an excuse, Gantz knows he cannot afford another failure at forming a government

Lol, he should agree as long as he's leading it and see how the right's excuses hold up.

He has no cards and the public mood here will be very hostile to political shenanigans now. I can’t see Gantz refusing really. It’s over

[Hnv1]

More people are talking about a unity government in light of the Corona. I think it’s an excuse, Gantz knows he cannot afford another failure at forming a government

Lol, he should agree as long as he's leading it and see how the right's excuses hold up.

He has no cards and the public mood here will be very hostile to political shenanigans now. I can’t see Gantz refusing really. It’s over

Not at all. Gantz will get the mandate from the president in less than a week and he'll call on any and all parties to join his emergency government. That's not "political shenanigans," that's how forming a government in Israel works. If the Likud wants to place Bibi's immunity over governing the country through a health crisis then Gantz has a very strong argument for resisting unity and even forming a minority government. The country should not be captive to the Bibi personality cult when what we need most is good leadership.. And Gantz is far better equipped to lead right now than the guy who's bribery trial starts on Tuesday. The country blamed Bibi for the last election. I don't see why suddenly people have somehow become ignoramuses and can't see the obvious fact that our political crisis is at the hands of Bibi's personal problems, and thst inevitably harms our health and security.

Everyone knows the minority government can’t pass a vote, his MKs already came out against, YB today did a 180 and called for a unity government.

The general public doesn’t care much about democratic procedure when a pandemic is running amok. Sorry to say but I don’t think Gantz can hold on much longer

[Hnv1]

Where was this Benny Gantz two months, or even two weeks, ago? Bibi invited Gantz to national unity talks.

Gantz's response? Sure, if it includes the Arabs.

Actually showed a lot of guts. Kudos. Of course likud will say no but now they look the petty politicians

[Hnv1]

Would I be wrong for thinking there's basically no chance that a Gantz government would last?

Depends. You'd need a majority to dissolve the Knesset, so thar means Likud cooperating with the Joint List or with Yisrael Beiteinu. Person I think it wouldn't last long but who knows.

The Knesset also dissolves automatically if you can’t pass the budget (thanks to the Prussian constitutional crisis of 1870’s). But I think the working assumption was that they would work quite fast on broadening the government exploiting Shaw’s inherent pull towards money

[Hnv1]

Unity government is happening. Expect news tomorrow night.

[Hnv1]

Unity government is happening. Expect news tomorrow night.

Temporary for Corona or long term? If long term, it begs the question of the immunity law, the hypothetical law barring indited people from govt, and what happens when Bibi ties to fight back in the future.

Temporary to become permanent. Yesh Attid and Telem might not join in.

[Hnv1]

Also, Odeh to the President: "we all agree that the Jewish people have a right of self recognition, but we're also a national group with rights". Odeh is really leading the JL into a more non-Zionist rather than anti-Zionist direction.

Wow. This is revolutionary

That has been Hadash platform since 1980's, and I don't think Tibi or Raam would oppose this statement.

[Hnv1]

Yael German will not be sworn in due to her medical condition and number 34 in the B&W list Aidan Roll would be sworn instead. Another gay MK.

German was a sure in for ministerial post for any government formed, so I guess Orna Barbivai is quite happy. She was the minister of health between 2013-15 and mayor of Raanana (by Meretz) for some 15 years.

[Hnv1]

The right wing is back to hyperventilating about a minority government. Knesset speaker Yuli Edelstein says that he will not allow a vote to replace him, which the Gantz bloc had planned to do tomorrow after MKs are sworn in. The move basically puts Gantz up against a wall and makes a minority government the only real option for KL at this point. Hopefully he is really quick to put the coalition agreements in ink.

Simply not allowing a vote to replace him when there's a majority to do so seems like the kind of power that a Speaker probably shouldn't, uh, have.

He doesn’t. He’s procrastinating

[Hnv1]

It's a mistake by the Joint List to recommend Gantz, he's worse than Netanyahu when it comes to the peace plan.

It was the wish of the majority of the Palestinian-Israeli population . I’ll let them know they need to consult the brave keyboard warriors of America first next time

[Hnv1]

It's a mistake by the Joint List to recommend Gantz, he's worse than Netanyahu when it comes to the peace plan.

It was the wish of the majority of the Palestinian-Israeli population . I’ll let them know they need to consult the brave keyboard warriors of America first next time

Don't even. TSA is Palestinian and has family in both "Israel proper" and the West Bank.

It's funny how I never hear you guys criticize pro-Israel American evangelicals like this.

It's a mistake by the Joint List to recommend Gantz, he's worse than Netanyahu when it comes to the peace plan.

Gantz is just the lesser evil and the only alternative to the establishment of a full apartheid ethno-estate by the Israeli hard right. If the Joint List does not recommend this centre-right zionist, their MKs will render useless and irrelevant. Gantz is bad, but the alternative is abominable. There are not good choices in Israeli politics, face it

Leave if you're not gonna contribute anything interesting/constructive 🤷🏻‍♂️

Yeah. He should strive to be the amazing, insightful poster that you are.

I think I voiced my strong dislike of the Jewish Right in America on more than one occasion, the same applies to the Palestinian expats who are quite similar in being more “radical”. It’s always easier to be radical when you don’t live through the ramifications.

The JL has the highest turnout ever because their public wanted them to help Gantz oust Bibi. I think they understand their needs better than our vigilantes here

[Hnv1]

Currently there's talk of twicking the rules. direct elections where an indicted person can't take part and then move to a 4th election if Bibi doesn't concede. I honestly don't know what Likud will do at that point, not much to say legally, though politically...

[Hnv1]

Anyway, the government passed a decision to monitor Israelis with counterterrorist tech last night, without any Knesset scrutiny. Authoritarian measures in middle of a crisis, with no checks and balances. Considering Netanyahu's history and situation, I personally cannot trust him to do it in good faith. A minority government has never been so crucial.

forget government, we need a legislature and courts right now.

[Hnv1]

Can you lot knock it off? Open a thread in the international discussion board and leave this thread for political news.

[Hnv1]

So...... who becomes leader of Likud should Netanyahu fall?

Depends on when, I doubt Likud would accept the constitutional amendments and would demand the Supreme Court to give an interim award to delay them, or choose a mock candidate that would pledge to win and change it immediately to bring back Bibi.

So I would wait with that sort of speculation. I know Bibi thinks Ambassador Dremer and Yossi Cohen are worthy successors, but I’m not sure Likudniks would accept his nominations. Maybe Cohen, Dremer is too...foreign. From the current ministers none will make the cut I think

[Hnv1]

https://www.timesofisrael.com/renegade-mk-files-breakaway-request-from-labor-meretz-after-u-turn-on-joint-list/

So she loses her seat... right?

No. She leads her own party, so she can split with no consequences at all. Correct me if I'm wrong, fellows

MKs can quit parties and act on their own individually. This has happened quite a few times during this crisis thanks to Meretz's infighting. If they resign/die though then MKs are replaced by their party.

They can, but then they can't run with any existing party in the next cycle.

Also I have no idea to what Meretz infighting and quitting MKs are you referring during this crisis? The most recent example is... Orly Levy, who quit YB during the Knesset and then couldn't run with an existing party next time (which was why she was so angry Gantz joined Lapid- she couldn't run with Yesh Atid). Gadi Ybarkan left for the election so he could be put on the Likud list.

Bad memory on my part. I thought the Stav Shaffir situation involved her presonally getting booted.

She wasn’t a part of Meretz, she had her own party.

[Hnv1]

Likud are shutting down the legislature de facto. This will not stand. If the Supreme Court will now assist right now the 61 should convene elsewhere and call shots

[Hnv1]

They are running down the clock on Gantz’s days. He needs to bulk up, take measures against them and start using his majority, if necessary swear in a government and place Netanyahu under arrest if he opposes the legitimacy

[Hnv1]

The Joint List is obviously catch-all for all Arab movements and politics and they are marketed as such. They would therefore be homophobes in the joint list as well as progressives.

Can someone tell me the differences within the Arab parties? Hadash is obviously the social democratic party and is? more moderate on the Palestinian Nationalism issues.

Balad is the left-wing Arab nationalist party, less socialist but more radical on the nationalism issue?

UAL represents the Islamic Arab movement, are they more moderate or extreme on the nationalism issue.

Also what's Ta'al as a political party?

Why did UAL and Balad unite, and Hadash-Ta'al unite?

Ideology is not the core issue here, parts of Hadash are quite radical regarding Arab nationalism on par with Balad.

Hadash- the old guard, a left leaning faction more inclined towards moderate nationalism, a right wing faction (mainly the Nazareth branch) regarding nationalism and commitment to anti imperialism. voters are more educated, Christians, from the cities or villages up north.

Balad - radical, similar demographics as Hadash but with younger voters, but almost exclusively of educated elite from the north or the cities. Hadash also have "working class" voters if you like

Ta'al - basically the representation of the PA in Israel but a bit of a catch all party. Tibi is similar to Lapid for Arabs, a bit of centrist on a lot of issues without any core issue. He does well in the triangle and parts of the north. the least "political" of them, more of a personal vessel to Tibi

Ra'am - the Islamic movement is indeed the home to muslim voters, but under it all Ra'am is basically representing the Bedouin and the poor Muslims of the triangle and the north. Islamism isn't really the political agenda.

[Hnv1]

Likud are threatening to call off negotiations if B&W replace the speaker. they're claiming they want the speaker and finance for the first year and a half while B&W will have foreign and defence during that time but then they change.

I find it implausible, they're just playing in the center circle the prevent the anti-bibi legislation.
 

[Hnv1]

The Joint List is obviously catch-all for all Arab movements and politics and they are marketed as such. They would therefore be homophobes in the joint list as well as progressives.

Can someone tell me the differences within the Arab parties? Hadash is obviously the social democratic party and is? more moderate on the Palestinian Nationalism issues.

Balad is the left-wing Arab nationalist party, less socialist but more radical on the nationalism issue?

UAL represents the Islamic Arab movement, are they more moderate or extreme on the nationalism issue.

Also what's Ta'al as a political party?

Why did UAL and Balad unite, and Hadash-Ta'al unite?

Will add to what Hnv said- Ra'am seem consistently the most willing to cooperate with Jewish parties, so you could say "moderate". They're even known to strike deals with the right.

As a rule of thumb, the sensation of Palestinian Nationalism among Israeli Arabs is in direct proportion to their level of education. Ra’am represents the poorest and least educated hence the Palestinian topic isn’t that important there with the exception of Jerusalem.

Balad are the most Nationalist, but they are the party of educated young Arabs who went to universities in Israel and studied critical theory, they are also highly critical of the PA. Hadash had a Nationalistic turn the past decade, but they are the establishment party for Arabs in the north so they are merely responding to pressure bottom up. Tibi is basically the PA’s representative in Israel (like the Irish MP in Liverpool in olden days), but his tone is less harsh

[Hnv1]

SC is going to force the speaker to hold the vote to oust him if he doesn't do it himself, some (not all though) Likud ministers are calling him to refuse to comply with the writ. That would definitely lead to a massive constitutional crisis with the justices resigning

[Hnv1]

SC is going to force the speaker to hold the vote to oust him if he doesn't do it himself, some (not all though) Likud ministers are calling him to refuse to comply with the writ. That would definitely lead to a massive constitutional crisis with the justices resigning

Say it with me: dictatorship!

Also, the Joint List are refusing to oust Gafni from the Finance Committee. Tbf, the replacement is Oded Forer from Yisrael Beiteinu so it kind of makes sense, but Gafni's terrible so hopefully they agree to KL's offer (support for ousting him in exchange for two committees).

Gafni is actually a very good MK

[Hnv1]

So the speaker refused to comply which means the SC will issue a writ tomorrow to hold it on Wednesday. If he still refuses, well.

[Hnv1]

So the speaker refused to comply which means the SC will issue a writ tomorrow to hold it on Wednesday. If he still refuses, well.

The SC issued it this evening already.

Just read it, 19 pages of demolishing the right’s feeble claims