"His coalition partners include ultra-Orthodox lawmakers who oppose teaching math and English to their children, and far-right settlers who frequently antagonize Israel’s Arab minority and seek to remove checks and balances on the parliamentary process. To Mr. Netanyahu’s backers, his victory would shore up Israel’s Jewish character. It would reassure certain right-wing Jewish Israelis who fear that the unprecedented involvement of an Arab party in the departing government has threatened the country’s Jewish identity and endangered their personal safety. To his opponents, a win for Mr. Netanyahu would endanger the integrity of Israeli democracy — particularly after Mr. Netanyahu’s allies announced plans for sweeping judicial reform — and make it even harder for the country’s Jewish and Arab communities to get along."
From "Here’s what’s at stake as Israelis cast their ballots" (NYT)(Netanyahu, the current opposition leader, faces "the governing alliance of right-wing, left-wing and centrist parties that share little beyond their opposition to the former prime minister").
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Whether you like him or not, the most significant Israeli statesman since Ben Gurion. It is entertaining as a Hebrew speaking half-Israeli watching his opposition finally coalesce after decades on what they think is a winning message. They’ve succeeded in shattering his power base multiple times, and he just keeps building a new one.
Now w/his coalition of right-wing nationalists and right-wing religious he’s probably unstoppable and definitely more dangerous than ever.
From what my Israeli friends tell me, Bibi also has the support of the investment banking high tech entrepreneur class as well. Strange bedfellows is the Mother's Milk of politics.
Judicial reform would be a good idea in Israel. In the US SCOTUS grabbed themselves a lot of power in the early days, taking for themselves the right to decide what the Constitution says. But in Israel it's way worse, and the high court pretty much thinks it can do whatever it wants, and sometimes does.
I dunno. I think I'll go over to a couple of Israeli news sources before I'll take the NY Times word on what another round of Netanyahu would mean for Israel, the Middle East, and the world. The Times has tried to take out Netanyahu as often as they've done to any American conservative politician over the years. I doubt very much this article breaks this trend.
The article didn't really talk about the strength of the haredi parti(es). They are important because they are a solid chunk of the electorate, only care about a very few things, and because some other parties only really exist in order for people to vote against those things. Coalition building in Israel is usually jockeying for position around the haredim.
His coalition partners include ultra-Orthodox lawmakers who oppose teaching math and English to their children, and far-right settlers who frequently antagonize Israel’s Arab minority and seek to remove checks and balances on the parliamentary process.
Now do the Democrats.
Netanyahu, the current opposition leader, faces "the governing alliance of right-wing, left-wing and centrist parties that share little beyond their opposition to the former prime minister
There are a lot of political movements in western countries right now that have no real political principles and only oppose politicians like Netanyahu who are popular with people for the things they have done.
The Democrats/GOPe are allied in the United Stated just like Netanyahu's opponents are allied in Israel.
They are a global movement of chameleons and grifters that suck from the WEF tit. They are corrupt shitheads that are magically millionaires and billionaires on 200k salaries.
It is time for these people to go.
The NYT reads like an anti-Semitic screed. But one cannot be anti-Semitic when carrying water for the brave new world without religion and the religious to complicate things.
Israeli politics are really complex. I don't think it translates easily into what we have in America.
No love for Netanyahu, but imposing the "dangerous populist" template on every story means missing local nuances and distinctions.
Where does one start? This is standard NY Times writing about any conservative. What kind of country do you want to live in? One with checks and balances and math and English or one without? Are you for good or evil? Freedom or slavery?
Sounds so simple a choice its a wonder why so many freedom, math, English, law-abiding citizens continue to fool themselves and vote for Netanyahu?
Maybe because he opened up the economy making Israel an OECD country, signed peace treaties with multiple Arab countries, led the moral crusade against the Iranian theocracy and generally kept the country out of unnecessary wars.
Where does one start? This is standard NY Times writing about any conservative. What kind of country do you want to live in? One with checks and balances and math and English or one without? Are you for good or evil? Freedom or slavery?
Sounds so simple a choice its a wonder why so many freedom, math, English, law-abiding citizens continue to fool themselves and vote for Netanyahu?
Maybe because he opened up the economy making Israel an OECD country, signed peace treaties with multiple Arab countries, led the moral crusade against the Iranian theocracy and generally kept the country out of unnecessary wars.
More 'far-right.'
Israel's goal should be to kill as many Arab assholes as humanly possible.
"the governing alliance of right-wing, left-wing and centrist parties that share little beyond their opposition to the former prime minister"
And that's good for "democracy"?
For the NYT and their ilk people the lefties don't like are always "whittling away at democracy" or some such.
Democracy is mob rule. It's unlikely that the effete elite at the NYT want that.
Why on earth do these parents not want their kids to learn math?! I really need an explanation
Netanyahu is the Israeli Trump.
What Achilles wrote above at 7:57.
"Netanyahu is the Israeli Trump."
What a perfect condemnation! (I know you intend it as a compliment. But...it's not.)
Before Israelis began electing conservatives, they were a small, weak, Socialist country beloved by leftists. Since conservatives have governed they have become an economic powerhouse, hated by the left.
According to exit polls, Netanyahu’s coalition has won a majority in the Knesset. Exit polls are not votes, but apparently the Dumbocrats (and their house organs the Washington Post and New York Times) are going to have to learn to get along with him once again. Barack Obama made it a high priority to get rid of Bibi, yet he persists.
"Why on earth do these parents not want their kids to learn math?! I really need an explanation"
Its a huge exagerration of a real issue. It has come up as an issue among Hasidim in New York as well, but is a much bigger problem in Israel. The coalition politics in Israel gives the Haredi parties more power than they would from their fnumbers alone.
The Haredi schools for men heavily emphasize Torah (well, really Talmud) study. I doubt there's any that actually don't teach math, but that it and other secular subjects end early. Perhaps, comparable to the Amish ending school after 8th grade.
An interesting dynamic in the last few decades is that women in the community are often getting better secular education and then good jobs (desirable in matchmaking so as to support their future husband's Torah study).
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