Netanyahu finalises details for appointing new Israeli government
Ever closer to becoming Israel's prime minister for the sixth time, Benjamin Netanyahu and his parliamentary partners are finalising the details of his accession to the premiership. This is evidenced by the Israeli parliament's approval of a combined amendment to the Basic Law (the body of 13 fundamental laws that are the closest thing to a constitutional text for the Hebrew country) to introduce the so-called Deri and Smotrich laws.
These two laws allow the incoming head of government to maintain the parliamentary support of his historic partner, Shas, and the extreme right-wing Jewish supremacist alliance, Religious Zionism, ahead of the official appointment and swearing-in ceremony of the new government team on Thursday 29 December.
In the case of the former, the ultra-Orthodox coalition Shas ('International Association of Sephardic Torah Observant Jews'), political backing is openly conditional on the implementation of an amendment that would allow its leader Aryeh Deri to return to public office at ministerial level after his conviction and disqualification for tax fraud. To this end, the amendment to the Basic Law approved by the Knesset in the early hours of Tuesday morning allows for the rehabilitation of politicians who, despite having been indicted, have not been sentenced to prison.
According to what was agreed in the negotiations, Aryeh Deri would, as of Thursday, hold the post of deputy prime minister in this new government -considered by many to be the most right-wing and orthodox in the country's history-, and would become head of the Interior and Health during the first half of the legislature, and of Finance during the second half.
Secondly, the reform to the 'constitutional text' passed in the Israeli parliament - by a majority of 63 votes to 55 - will allow the supremacist leader of Religious Zionism, Bezalel Smotrich, to monopolise extensive functions of the Defence Ministry, as he will have the final say over civilian and military policies in the occupied West Bank, and over decisions on the construction and expansion of settlements in the same region.
This situation is made possible by the amendment that allows a particular ministerial portfolio to be handed over to two different ministers, and has been described by the still head of the ministry, Benjamin Gantz (also known as Benny Gantz), as a "dismantling of the chain of command" of the country's armed forces. This, according to EFE news agency, "will damage the functioning of the security system".
In this sense, concerns about the threat the new government poses to democracy and the balance of power - which could break down in favour of the executive, and to the detriment of national minorities - have transcended political and academic circles, and have reached the Israeli army itself. In the last few hours, a letter addressed to the Supreme Court and signed by nearly 1,200 military veterans of the Air Force has warned of the danger posed by the coalition executive of Likud (Netanyahu's own party), Religious Zionism, Jewish Power and Noam, among others.
"We come from all strata of society and from across the political spectrum [...] and what we have in common today is the fear that the democratic state of Israel is in danger," the letter stated. Legal officials "are the final line of defence" of Hebrew democracy and - according to the veterans - must do all they can to "stop the disaster" that threatens the country.
Among the names that have endorsed the letter are such important figures as the lieutenant general of the Israeli Air Force and commander-in-chief between 2005 and 2007, Dan Jalutz; the former commander of the Air Force, Avihu Ben-Nun; and the former general of the Air Force and head of the Military Intelligence Directorate, Amos Yadlin.
At the same time, a communiqué signed by the leaders of the opposition parties expressed their rejection of the new government. "We will work together to fight this backward and undemocratic government that [...] will dismantle Israel from within. "When we return to power, we promise to cancel any extremist legislation that harms democracy, security, the economy or Israeli society," concluded the text, which also bore the signature of the still acting prime minister, Yair Lapid.
While the Knesset approves the amendments to the Basic Law, and while several members of the new government express their intention to approve the 'annulment clause' (to allow Parliament to implement laws that contradict the Basic Law and eliminate the Supreme Court's ability to annul them), the interim speaker of the legislative chamber, Yariv Levin, resigned his post in the Knesset this week in the expectation that his good relationship with Netanyahu will guarantee him a ministerial portfolio in the incoming government.
