Israel’s Haredi voters drift hard right in leadership vacuum
2 years, 1 month ago

Israel’s Haredi voters drift hard right in leadership vacuum

Associated Press  

JERUSALEM — One of Israel’s most extremist politicians, known for his inflammatory anti-Arab speeches and stunts, is attracting new supporters from a previously untapped demographic — young ultra-Orthodox Jews, one of the fastest-growing segments of the country’s population. Voting records from predominantly Haredi communities indicate that since Ben-Gvir entered politics in 2019, support for him in those areas has increased over Israel’s four successive elections — though he still lagged behind the established ultra-Orthodox parties. The audience, many of them young men in white button-down shirts and black skullcaps, responded with cheers and whistles, then chants of, “Death to Arabs” and “Death to terrorists.” David Cohen, a resident of Beit Shemesh, a heavily ultra-Orthodox city west of Jerusalem, said he would vote for Ben-Gvir, comparing him to former U.S. President Donald Trump and describing him as a straight-talking man of action. “He’s a guy that says what he means and means what he says.” Ben-Gvir first entered parliament in 2021, after his Jewish Power party merged with the Religious Zionism party. Ben-Gvir is “shrewd, charismatic and expresses what many Jewish Israelis sadly think but until now didn’t feel comfortable saying out loud,” she said.

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History of this topic

Israel’s Netanyahu confronts altered political landscape in US
5 months ago

Israel’s Netanyahu confronts altered political landscape in US

Live Mint  

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress on Wednesday drops one of the world’s most polarizing politicians into the middle of an unprecedented U.S. political shake-up, a risky combination as he tries to win support from both parties for his country and its war. The national discussion over Israel’s conduct in Gaza seemed to have fallen into the background, …

Top Democrat Schumer calls for new elections in Israel, saying Netanyahu is an obstacle to peace
9 months, 1 week ago

Top Democrat Schumer calls for new elections in Israel, saying Netanyahu is an obstacle to peace

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Thursday called on Israel to hold new elections, saying he believes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has “lost his way” and is an obstacle to peace in the region amid a growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Schumer has so far positioned himself as a strong ally of the Israeli government, visiting the …

Israeli PM Netanyahu's coalition would be trounced by Benny Gantz if elections held today: Polls
1 year, 1 month ago

Israeli PM Netanyahu's coalition would be trounced by Benny Gantz if elections held today: Polls

Firstpost  

This week, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resign, saying the Israeli leader has “lost the public’s trust.” This is the first time Lapid has urged Netanyahu to quit since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7. The coalition led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which secured 64 seats in the November 2022 …

Israel’s Netanyahu says deal agreed with far-right to form gov’t
2 years ago

Israel’s Netanyahu says deal agreed with far-right to form gov’t

Al Jazeera  

Benjamin Netanyahu’s agreement sees him return to power as head of the most right-wing coalition in Israel’s history. Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu said he has secured a deal to form a new government with hardline religious and far-right political partners, which will see him return to power as the head of the most right-wing coalition in Israel’s history. Minutes before midnight, …

What role will ‘Religious Zionism’ have in the next Israeli govt?
2 years ago

What role will ‘Religious Zionism’ have in the next Israeli govt?

Al Jazeera  

Religious Zionism is a growing force in Israel, and will have a strong presence in the next Israeli government. While Netanyahu’s Likud party forms the core of the new government, far-right allies part of the “Religious Zionism” ideological movement will occupy prominent positions, influencing policy towards Palestinians living in the occupied territories, after they performed well in elections for the …

Israel’s Likud signs coalition deal with anti-LGBTQ radical
2 years ago

Israel’s Likud signs coalition deal with anti-LGBTQ radical

Associated Press  

JERUSALEM — Former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has struck a coalition deal with a small ultranationalist faction leader known for homophobic rhetoric and disparaging remarks about non-Orthodox Jews, a sign of the prospective government’s hardline makeup. Netanyahu’s Likud party announced Sunday that the agreement names Noam faction leader Avi Maoz as a deputy minister whose portfolio includes an office …

Far-right Ben-Gvir to be Israel's National Security Minister
2 years ago

Far-right Ben-Gvir to be Israel's National Security Minister

The Hindu  

Extremist politician Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has a long record of anti-Arab rhetoric and stunts, will become Israel's next Minister of National Security, according to the first of what are expected to be several coalition deals struck by former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party. Ahead of Israel's November 1 election, Mr. Ben-Gvir grabbed headlines for his anti-Palestinian speeches and stunts, …

Far-right Ben-Gvir to be police minister in Israeli gov’t
2 years ago

Far-right Ben-Gvir to be police minister in Israeli gov’t

Al Jazeera  

The deal will give considerable power to a figure known for his anti-Palestinian views. Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu’s conservative Likud party has signed its first coalition deal with the far-right Jewish Power party, giving ultranationalist leader Itamar Ben-Gvir the police ministry and a seat in the security cabinet. Under the terms of the deal, Ben-Gvir – who until last …

Itamar Ben-Gvir | The rabble-rouser
2 years, 1 month ago

Itamar Ben-Gvir | The rabble-rouser

The Hindu  

November 20, 2022 12:52 am | Updated 05:58 pm IST In 1995, he stole the Cadillac emblem from the car of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, the Labour leader who signed the Oslo Accord with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat two years earlier. But in the March 2021 election, Mr. Ben-Gvir joined hands with the National Union’s Bezalel Smotrich to form the …

Israel swears in new parliament, most right-wing in history
2 years, 1 month ago

Israel swears in new parliament, most right-wing in history

Associated Press  

JERUSALEM — After nearly four years of political deadlock and five elections, Israel on Tuesday swore in the most right-wing parliament in its history. Itamar Ben Gvir, an ultranationalist lawmaker who appears set to receive a position in the next government, called Tuesday’s attack “a wake-up call” that proves “only an iron fist will stamp out terrorism.” Israeli President Isaac …

Israel\'s Netanyahu to receive mandate to form government
2 years, 1 month ago

Israel\'s Netanyahu to receive mandate to form government

Deccan Chronicle  

JERUSALEM: Former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu will receive an official mandate Sunday to form a government that could be the most right-wing in the country's history, sparking concern at home and abroad. Sixty-four lawmakers recommended that President Isaac Herzog appoint Netanyahu to form a government, a presidency statement said Friday, following several days of consultations. His right-wing Likud party …

Israel’s Netanyahu given chance to form far-right government
2 years, 1 month ago

Israel’s Netanyahu given chance to form far-right government

Associated Press  

JERUSALEM — Israel’s president on Friday asked former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to form a new government, presenting the longtime leader currently standing trial on corruption charges with the chance to end years of political instability in Israel with his partners on the far right. His comeback in last week’s election, the nation’s fifth vote in four years, seemed to …

Netanyahu given chance to form most right-wing, religious government in Israeli history
2 years, 1 month ago

Netanyahu given chance to form most right-wing, religious government in Israeli history

LA Times  

Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, celebrate after the first exit poll results in the Nov. 1 parliamentary elections. Israel’s president Friday asked Benjamin Netanyahu to form a new government, presenting the former longtime prime minister — who is currently standing trial on corruption charges — with the chance to end years of political instability in …

World is worried about far-right Ben-Gvir: Israeli president
2 years, 1 month ago

World is worried about far-right Ben-Gvir: Israeli president

Al Jazeera  

Last week’s Israeli election means that far-right lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir is set to join Netanyahu’s new government. Israeli President Isaac Herzog has been caught saying that “the whole world is worried” about newly elected lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir’s far-right positions. Ben-Gvir, who leads the far-right Jewish Power party, is expected to be in former PM Netanyahu’s new government following the victory …

DC Edit | Bibi return powered by Ben-Gvir
2 years, 1 month ago

DC Edit | Bibi return powered by Ben-Gvir

Deccan Chronicle  

Benjamin ‘Bibi’ Netanyahu has bobbed up again. But just as the liberals may have been taking heart from such a development, Europe has seen a rightward shift in a clutch of countries like Denmark, Sweden, Poland and Hungary while the centrists have just managed to cling to power like in France. The rise of the 46-year-old Itamar Ben-Gvir of the …

Israel Polls: Benjamin Netanyahu Set To Return – With Some Extreme New Partners
2 years, 1 month ago

Israel Polls: Benjamin Netanyahu Set To Return – With Some Extreme New Partners

The Quint  

Despite this there has been no major swing to the right in Israeli politics – rather there has been a swing within the right to more extreme positions. Meanwhile on the anti-Bibi side, Yesh Atid – the party of the current prime minister Yair Lapid – won seven more seats to reach a total representation of 24 in the Knesset …

Israel's Netanyahu launches talks on forming government after stunning comeback
2 years, 1 month ago

Israel's Netanyahu launches talks on forming government after stunning comeback

Hindustan Times  

Veteran hawk Benjamin Netanyahu launched negotiations Friday with his ultra-Orthodox and far-right allies on forming what could be the most right-wing government in Israel's history, raising concerns at home and abroad. Netanyahu's Likud party won 32 seats in Israel's 120-seat parliament, the Knesset, according to the latest official results of the election released on Thursday night. That combined with 18 …

The right and worse: The Hindu Editorial on Benjamin Netanyahu’s comeback
2 years, 1 month ago

The right and worse: The Hindu Editorial on Benjamin Netanyahu’s comeback

The Hindu  

Benjamin Netanyahu, after spending 17 months in opposition, has made a stunning comeback with his Likud Party and its right-religious allies taking a solid lead in Tuesday’s parliamentary elections. While Likud is set to become the largest bloc with 32 seats, the centre-right Yesh Atid, led by Prime Minister Yair Lapid, the architect of last year’s anti-Netanyahu coalition, is projected …

Opinion: What a Netanyahu comeback means for Israel – and the world
2 years, 1 month ago

Opinion: What a Netanyahu comeback means for Israel – and the world

CNN  

Editor’s Note: Aaron David Miller is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and author of “The End of Greatness: Why America Can’t Have Another Great President.” Miller was a Middle East negotiator in Democratic and Republican administrations. Indeed, the biggest star in the new political firmament wasn’t Netanyahu but the extremist Itamar Ben Gvir, whose bloc …

Analysis: The fall and rise of Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu
2 years, 1 month ago

Analysis: The fall and rise of Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu

Al Jazeera  

Netanyahu was able to return to power by utilising the far right, a side of Israeli politics that had been shunned. Rise of the far right For Netanyahu’s opponents, the shock has not so much been having him as prime minister – he has already served a total of 15 years in the position – but instead the stunning success …

Op-Ed: Netanyahu's return to power with a coalition of racists is appalling. But the problem runs deeper
2 years, 1 month ago

Op-Ed: Netanyahu's return to power with a coalition of racists is appalling. But the problem runs deeper

LA Times  

The apparent return of Benjamin Netanyahu to power in Israel is a gut punch to people concerned about the state of democracy and the rule of law in the world. In Israel, as in many countries around the world, the very idea of Western-style liberal democracy is under assault by those who — like Viktor Orban in Hungary, Jair Bolsonaro …

As Israel’s Netanyahu nears victory, trouble may lie ahead
2 years, 1 month ago

As Israel’s Netanyahu nears victory, trouble may lie ahead

Associated Press  

JERUSALEM — After four inconclusive elections, it looks like the fifth time finally worked for Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel’s longtime former prime minister and current opposition leader appears to have engineered a surprising victory in the country’s fifth national vote since 2019, thanks to help from an extremist far-right party. “Netanyahu took charge of his bloc and designed a political architecture …

Projected poll results show Benjamin Netanyahu inching towards reclaiming power in Israel
2 years, 1 month ago

Projected poll results show Benjamin Netanyahu inching towards reclaiming power in Israel

The Hindu  

Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu inched towards reclaiming power on Wednesday after projected election results showed a majority government was within reach for the veteran right-winger, though the outlook could shift as ballots are counted. If the exit polls hold, it would mark a dramatic comeback for Mr. Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving Premier, whose Likud party is poised to form a coalition with …

EXPLAINER: Who won Israel’s latest election?
2 years, 1 month ago

EXPLAINER: Who won Israel’s latest election?

Associated Press  

For the fifth time in four years, Israelis went to the polls, and once again, no clear victor immediately emerged. Already, there was talk that a small Arab nationalist party could play spoiler, leaving Netanyahu and his opponents evenly split in Israel’s Knesset, or parliament, and putting the country on track for yet another election early next year. Netanyahu was …

Netanyahu tipped to return as Israel PM after far-right surge
2 years, 1 month ago

Netanyahu tipped to return as Israel PM after far-right surge

Al Jazeera  

Exit polls suggest veteran Likud politician will be able to form coalition with support of ‘Religious Zionism’, which plans major changes. The three older men smoked water pipes as they waited patiently to hear whether Benjamin Netanyahu, the leader of the Likud party who has been prime minister longer than anyone else in Israel but is now on trial for …

Israelis vote again, as political crisis grinds on
2 years, 1 month ago

Israelis vote again, as political crisis grinds on

The Hindu  

For the fifth time since 2019, Israelis were voting in national elections on Tuesday, hoping to break the political deadlock that has paralysed the country for the past three-and-a-half years. After he cast his vote in the West Bank settlement where he lives, Ben-Gvir promised that a vote for his party would bring about a “fully right-wing government” with Mr. …

Main contenders in today’s Israeli election are mostly familiar faces, with one surprise
2 years, 1 month ago

Main contenders in today’s Israeli election are mostly familiar faces, with one surprise

LA Times  

Israel’s election Tuesday — the country’s fifth since 2019 — largely pits familiar faces against one another in a tight race. Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, now the opposition leader, is hoping to return to power and replace his main rival, interim Prime Minister Yair Lapid. Yair Lapid Israel’s caretaker prime minister took office in June after the ruling coalition …

After Israel's election, polls point to a close race that could bring Netanyahu back
2 years, 1 month ago

After Israel's election, polls point to a close race that could bring Netanyahu back

NPR  

After Israel's election, polls point to a close race that could bring Netanyahu back Enlarge this image toggle caption Left: Jack Guez / AFP / Getty Images, Right: Amir Levy / Getty Images Left: Jack Guez / AFP / Getty Images, Right: Amir Levy / Getty Images JERUSALEM — Voting ended Tuesday night after Israelis went to the polls in …

Far-right Ben-Gvir emerges as key player in Israel
2 years, 1 month ago

Far-right Ben-Gvir emerges as key player in Israel

Al Jazeera  

As Israel faces its fifth poll in less than four years, uncertainty and rising tension are boosting support for the notorious politician. A settler in Kiryat Araba, one of the most radical settlements in the occupied West Bank, Ben-Gvir has been convicted of incitement to racism, destroying property, possessing a “terror” organisation’s propaganda material and supporting a “terror” organisation – …

Netanyahu bids for comeback in tight Israeli election
2 years, 1 month ago

Netanyahu bids for comeback in tight Israeli election

The Hindu  

Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a tight race on Tuesday as he bids for a return to power in an election that could turn on support from a far-right party whose leaders call for those deemed disloyal to Israel to be expelled. Security and surging prices have topped the list of voter concerns in a campaign triggered by …

Arab bloc splits ahead of Israeli elections in November
2 years, 3 months ago

Arab bloc splits ahead of Israeli elections in November

Associated Press  

A bloc of Arab parties has split ahead of Israel’s fifth elections in less than four years, a move that could dilute the minority’s political influence and aid former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s return to power. Sami Abou Shahadeh, the head of Balad, said it was the other two Arab parties, Hadash and Ta’al, who abandoned him just hours before …

Extremist lawmaker surges ahead of elections in Israel
2 years, 3 months ago

Extremist lawmaker surges ahead of elections in Israel

Associated Press  

TEL AVIV, Israel — Israeli lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir calls his Arab colleagues “terrorists.” He wants to deport his political opponents, and in his youth, his views were so extreme that the army banned him from compulsory military service. “Over the last year I’ve been on a mission to save Israel,” Ben-Gvir recently told reporters. Ben-Gvir, for instance, calls Kahane “righteous …

With vote count done, an Islamist party in Israel may hold key to Netanyahu’s fate
3 years, 8 months ago

With vote count done, an Islamist party in Israel may hold key to Netanyahu’s fate

LA Times  

With the last votes tallied Thursday, the outcome of Israel’s latest election — and the fate of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — now appears to rest in the hands of small parties, including an upstart Arab Islamist group whose surprise showing has redrawn the political landscape. Now, ironically, Netanyahu finds himself within spitting distance of being booted from the prime …

Israel election deadlock: With nearly 90% of votes counted, Benjamin Netanyahu lacks clear path to majority
3 years, 9 months ago

Israel election deadlock: With nearly 90% of votes counted, Benjamin Netanyahu lacks clear path to majority

Firstpost  

Jerusalem: Israelis awoke on Wednesday to find that, after their fourth general election in less than two years, there was still no clear indication of who would form the next government. Veteran Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party won the most votes, boosting his chances of building a coalition with a majority in the 120-seat Knesset. Netanyahu, 71, Israel’s …

Israel election: What happens next in 600 words
3 years, 9 months ago

Israel election: What happens next in 600 words

Al Jazeera  

Elections have left a razor-thin margin between a right-wing bloc led by Netanyahu and an array of parties bent on removing him. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s prospects for another term look uncertain after partial results from Israel’s fourth national election in two years projected no clear path to victory. The right-wing bloc led by Netanyahu’s Likud party has a …

Far-right party set to gain new influence after Israeli vote
3 years, 9 months ago

Far-right party set to gain new influence after Israeli vote

Associated Press  

JERUSALEM — An alliance of far-right groups including openly racist and homophobic candidates appears poised to enter Israel’s parliament, possibly as an indispensable member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition, according to exit polls Tuesday. Exit polls by Israel’s three main television channels projected the Religious Zionist Party will win six to seven seats, the best-ever showing by an …

Israel election exit polls point to stalemate for Netanyahu
3 years, 9 months ago

Israel election exit polls point to stalemate for Netanyahu

CNN  

Jerusalem CNN — Benjamin Netanyahu has thanked the voters of Israel for making his Likud the largest party after the country’s fourth election in two years but exit poll projections by the three main Israeli TV networks all point increasingly towards a period of renewed political deadlock. New Hope appears to have fared badly in Tuesday’s poll, but its predicted …

The morning after the Israeli electoral circus
3 years, 9 months ago

The morning after the Israeli electoral circus

Al Jazeera  

Israel is stuck in an electoral groundhog day, with each election producing more of the same. With the exception of the 1977 elections that saw a radical switch to Likud under Menachem Begin and the 1992 elections that allowed for a temporary switch back to Labor, under Yitzhak Rabin, most elections produced much chagrin but no change in the main …

Israel heads for fourth election in two years after Benjamin Netanyahu-led coalition govt collapses
4 years ago

Israel heads for fourth election in two years after Benjamin Netanyahu-led coalition govt collapses

Firstpost  

Netanyahu finds himself confronted by a trio of disgruntled former aides — led by Gideon Saar, a popular lawmaker who recently broke away from his Likud party — who share his hardline ideology Jerusalem: Israel’s divided government collapsed early Wednesday, triggering the country’s fourth election in under two years and bringing an unprecedented threat to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s lengthy …

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