Israeli elections a referendum on Netanyahu's political fate Two days before nationwide elections, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday held a cabinet meeting in the occupied West Bank, an area he ...
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Today's snap election a referendum on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
To most Americans, even if they are aware Israel is going to the polls today to essentially vote for a new prime minister, it probably doesn't register much more than a ho-hum reaction.
Yet this election is important because like it or not what Israel does against its neighbors could drag the US into a new conflagration not of its choosing. More on that later.
Today there is a snap election in Israel. The reason: five months ago Israel held a general election but Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party didn't capture a majority of seats in the Israeli Knesset (parliament) to form a new government. Significantly no minority party would agree to join with Likud and Netanyahu to form a coalition government thus requiring today's snap election.
Netanyahu has continued as PM during this five month interim.
Israel being a parliamentary type government the people don't directly elect a new PM.
But make no mistake this election is a referendum on Netanyahu whether he continues as PM or is booted out.
As I wrote three weeks ago, [1] "since the April elections Netanyahu has become more belligerent during the interim annexing the Golan Heights as part of Israel-which it stole from Syria as spoils after the 1967 war. Over the weekend he sent missiles supposedly in a pre-emptive strike against suspected Iranian positions outside of Damascus, sent drone attacks into Lebanon south of Beirut and air strikes into Iraq targeting Shiite militia's allied with Iran".
A few days ago Netanyahu said he'd annex the sparsely populated Jordan Valley in the West Bank as a first step as new PM.
Of course he's vastly expanded Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem further displacing Palestinian's living in those areas.
On another front Netanyahu has been the subject of corruption while in office. "On February 13, 2018 Israeli police recommended that Netanyahu would be charged with corruption."According to the police "sufficient evidence exists to indict the PM on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in two separate cases." Two weeks later the Israeli attorney general announced he'd file indictments "against Netanyahu on bribe and fraud charges in three different cases." [2] The cases remain pending.
Again the Israeli people don't vote directly for prime minister but voting for a Likud candidate in their district is tantamount to a vote for or against Netanyahu continuing as PM of Israel.
While no real left leaning politician exists in Israel anyone other than the contemptible Netanyahu would be better as PM.
The reality:
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