JERUSALEM — Israel’s new Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday struck coalition agreements to form the most right-wing and religiously conservative government in the country’s history, a day ahead of an expected parliamentary vote to install the new leaders.
The coalition pledged to expand Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, a move that will deepen the conflict with the Palestinians. And its members agreed to prioritize potentially sweeping changes that would curtail the power and influence of the independent judiciary, one of the measures critics warn could damage Israel’s democratic system and pave the way for racism and discrimination against minorities.
Even before Thursday’s swearing-in ceremony, widespread public backlash against the government led to an unusual intervention by Israel’s President, Isaac Herzog, who sounded the alarm in some constituencies at home and abroad over the most controversial clauses in the coalition agreements.
Mr Herzog called Itamar Ben-Gvir, the leader of Jewish Power, an ultra-nationalist party, and the incoming Minister of National Security, to a meeting and conveyed “voices from large parts of the nation and the Jewish world that are concerned about the incoming government,” the president’s office said. He urged Mr Ben-Gvir to “calm the stormy winds”.
The president is a largely ceremonial figurehead who has no legal authority to influence the new government, but his voice carries moral weight and should unite Israelis.
Mr. Ben-Gvir told Mr. Herzog that he and the new government “will pursue a broad national policy in the interest of all sections of Israeli society,” the president’s office said in a statement.
The meeting took place on the same morning that the coalition agreements reached between the partners of the new government were presented to parliament on Wednesday, a final step that was needed a day before parliament’s vote to approve the new coalition.
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The government guidelines began with a statement of the “exclusive and inalienable right of the Jewish people to all parts of the land of Israel” and pledged to support Jewish settlement in all areas, including the occupied West Bank – a statement that reflected that this government renounced the internationally recognized formula for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.
“We have achieved the goal,” Netanyahu told his Likud party lawmakers on Wednesday as intense coalition negotiations came to an end nearly two months after the Nov. 1 election.
“A huge audience in Israel — over two million Israelis — voted for our national camp,” he said. “We will establish a stable government that will serve its full term and serve all citizens of Israel.”
But the agreements have already created tensions among the Jewish diaspora, and in particular the largely non-Orthodox community in North America, and raise concerns about Israel’s international status.
More than 100 retired Israeli ambassadors and senior State Department officials signed a letter to Mr Netanyahu on Wednesday expressing “deep concern” over the potential damage to Israel’s strategic relations, primarily with the United States. , as a result of the apparent policy of the incoming government.
In an interview with DailyExpertNews, King Abdullah II of Jordan said he was “prepared to get into a conflict” if Israel crossed the red lines and tried to change its status from a holy site in Jerusalem revered by Muslims and Jews and over which Jordan has custody. . Jordan and Israel signed a peace treaty in 1994, but relations between King Abdullah and Mr Netanyahu have long been strained.
Mr. Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, will return to office 18 months after being ousted. He is on trial for corruption and has become increasingly dependent on his hardline allies as the more liberal parties refuse to be part of a government headed by a prime minister who has been charged with criminal charges.
One of the most controversial elements of the new government’s plans is the prioritization of changes to the judiciary, including legislation that will allow parliament to override Supreme Court rulings. This would limit the influence of the independent judiciary, which has played an important role in preserving minority rights in a country without a formal constitution, and would give more unchecked power to the political majority.
But coalition agreements are not binding and many of their clauses remain on paper and never materialize. The clauses on the judiciary are vague and give few details about what will change, how or by when. For example, the proposal to allow Parliament to override Supreme Court rulings does not specify whether a simple parliamentary majority of 61 out of 120 legislators will be sufficient to overturn a Supreme Court decision or whether a special majority will be required.
Mr Ben-Gvir was previously convicted of incitement to racism and support for a terrorist group and entered the election on a bullish ticket of fighting organized crime and increasing governance, particularly in areas heavily populated by members of Israel’s Arab minority.
This week, parliament passed legislation expanding ministerial powers over the police in a way that critics say will enable Mr Ben-Gvir to politicize police operations. The coalition agreement says he will have the power to change open-fire rules, potentially giving the police more free rein to fuel tensions with Arab citizens of Israel.
Mr Ben-Gvir and his allies have insisted that the coalition agreements include promises to amend the current anti-discrimination law that applies to businesses and service providers to allow them to refuse to provide a service that conflicts with their religious beliefs and hold gender-segregated events.
Far-right lawmakers suggested this week that this meant doctors could refuse treatments that go against their religious conscience — for example, giving fertility treatments to a person in a same-sex relationship — or that hoteliers could refuse certain customers.
Their statements caused a public outcry and forced Mr. Netanyahu to provide clarifications saying discrimination against the LGBTQ community or other parts of Israeli society will not be tolerated, even though his conservative Likud party is a signatory to the coalition agreements.
Israeli banks, insurance companies, medical professionals, legal experts and business leaders have denounced the proposed changes and stated that they will not cooperate in discriminatory behavior in their fields.
Gabby Sobelman contributed reporting from Rehovot, Israel.