If… it’s the Israeli Prime Minister’s office, which now features the ultra-irresponsible Benjamin Netanyahu for a fourth term, after an apparent big win in Israeli national elections for his Likud party and its right-wing-nut allies. Crazy and irresponsible continue to work in popular elections everywhere… in Israel, that means a reckless politician who has tried to foment a potential world war involving the United States and Iran, who has just promised no two-state solution, neo-liberal economics destroying Israel’s economy (the nation was founded on economically egalitarian principles by Central/Eastern European socialists), and, of course, jeopardizing Israel’s most important international relationship by deliberately intervening in American domestic politics in the interest of advancing his own domestic political position.
In the end, emotional appeals to fear, distrust and hatred of “the other” have evident universal appeal…and in Israel, it proved to be no exception this election.
An interesting development for the long term is that Israel’s domestic Arabs, who vote (as opposed to its Palestinian house-guests in the permanently occupied West Bank and Gaza, who have no vote)… Arab parties now agreed to run together, and as such, have over ten per cent of representation in the Knesset… though they have vowed not to be part of any ruling coalition, and though there may be enough outright right-wingers to form a government on their own without help from the “center left”. If not now, perhaps in the next election, the Arab parties could be a pivotal block.
Then again, one suspects that appeals to fear and other baser instincts might well prevail again. Congratulations Bibi. You’re still an a**hole.
tdog
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