Bibi’s Ugly Win Will Harm Israel - By Jonathan Alter

[DonViejo]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin (Bibi) Netanyahu won a big election Tuesday, but he won ugly by staking out a new position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that is likely to harm his nation in the months ahead.

A reckoning is coming—faster than expected—for Netanyahu, his Likud Party and maybe even for the State of Israel itself.

Complete returns showed that Netanyahu’s Likud Party won 29 seats in the Knesset to 24 seats for the Zionist Union (formerly Labor) Party headed by Isaac Herzog, who ran a more spirited campaign than expected but almost certainly fell short of the support necessary to form a government.

Israel’s president, Reuven Rivlin, whose job consists mostly of presiding over elections, said not long after the polls closed that he wants a coalition government and has given Netanyahu, Herzog and the other party leaders a couple of days to engage in a frenzy of (largely unconsummated) deal-making. But Herzog’s parliamentary math problem got worse as the evening wore on, and it’s hard to see where he finds the “mandates” (seats) to prevail.

more
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/03/18/bibi-s-ugly-win-will-harm-israel.html

[DetlefK]

1. I say, it's good that Bibi finally showed his true colors.

No more pretending that there will be a Two-State-solution.

A clean, fresh start.

[DanTex]

2. I agree. The "Israel wants peace" line isn't even plausible anymore.

[LeftishBrit]

3. Disagree. I've heard that one before

'Kinnock is no true socialist; at least Thatcher is honest about her views'

'There is no difference between Bush and Gore'

etc.


There is indeed a difference between Far Right and not Far Right.

Kinnock might have prevented the destruction of British industry and the rush to privatization

Gore might have avoided the Iraq war

Herzog might have been a partner for a 2-state solution


A 'clean fresh start' means no fresh start at all.

[Chathamization]

10. If you consider creating a Bantustan a two-state solution

A sovereign Palestinian state has never been on the table. It should also be noted that the creation of a Palestinian Bantustan has been seen as an opportunity for Israeli to expel a large number of its Arab citizens (at least some of leaders of the Zionist share this view). The election wasn't over whether or not there would be apartheid, but over what form of apartheid they'd have.

[Spazito]

4. Netanyahu may find his win is a major loss for Israel in a very key way...

"Bibi has placed all his chips on the Republican Congress, which has no say over how the U.S. votes in the U.N. Schiff—who often reflects the view of the White House—hinted that the Obama administration might consider selectively lifting the American veto in the Security Council that has protected Israel for more than six decades."

Lifting the American veto is a very real possibility, imo.

[adigal]

17. Can you explain what that means? I'm not understanding

what lifting our veto means, and how it affects Israel? Thanks much.

[MohRokTah]

18. Every UN Security Council resolution that was ever bad for Israel was vetoed by the US

Expect a UN Security Council resolution that condemns all future Israeli settlements in the West Bank and to consider violation to be punishable by sanctions to come before the Council this summer.

Also expect the US to not veto the resolution.

[adigal]

20. Ah, got it!! Thank you!!! nt

[Behind the Aegis]

23. Except that what the other poster said wasn't even remotely true.

The US has vetoed UNSC resolutions, 44, I think the count is now. Yet, there have been almost 400 resolutions passed against Israel. So the other poster's information is wildly incorrect.

[Spazito]

19. As one of the 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council with veto power...

The US has used that power numerous times to block passage of UN resolutions wrt to the establishment of a Palestinian State as well as other resolutions involving Israel.

The last resolution to come before the UN Security Council on the establishment of a Palestinian State, in December 2014, was only one vote short of passing. Out of 15 votes, 8 countries voted for it, 5 abstained and only the US and Australia voted against it. If the US had voted for it, it would have passed.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/31/world/middleeast/resolution-for-palestinian-state-fails-in-security-council.html?_r=0

If the US chose to not exercise it's veto power on another resolution on the establishment of a Palestinian State and the resolution passed then Israel's power to negotiate a two-state solution would be severely diminished at the very least, imo.

[adigal]

21. Thank you - that would be great if we would do it. Might put some pressure on them n/t

[Spazito]

22. I agree...

Knowing Israel can no longer count on the US using it's veto, it would come down to two choices, imo. Either Israel enters substantive negotiations to find a two state solution or the UN, through the passage of a resolution on the establishment of a Palestinian State, will be the one to determine the both the parameters and timeline for the establishment of said State.

[liberalhistorian]

5. I have completely lost what

little remaining respect I had for Israel. I'm so disgusted I can't even see straight. I am very fearful for the future of not just the Palestinians, but Arab-Israelis who will now be at the mercy of the party whose platform openly calls fo the "cleansing" of "vermin", meaning Palestinians and Arabs. One would think they'd remember when such words were applied to their own people and what the results of that were, but apparently not. And six billion of our tax money goes annually to their oppression and discrimination and apartheid policies. And now they're going to drag us into doing their dirty wars for them. I'm just sickened.

[WillyT]

6. K & R !!!

[Faux pas]

7. Kickin'

[Segami]

8. Bibi's paints himself into a corner...

leaving himself no wiggle room to maneuver. Should he deviate from his last minute hate proclamation, his support will collapse and force another election in the coming year. He chose to win at all costs to save himself.

".....Monday’s comment set his feet in cement. “I think that anyone who moves to establish a Palestinian state and evacuate territory gives territory away to radical Islamist attacks against Israel,” Netanyahu told a website owned by his most generous supporter, American casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson. Should he go back on this pledge, his right-wing supporters would desert him and he would be forced to call another election next year that he would likely lose...."

[geek tragedy]

9. Israel has earned the fallout from this election. nt

[Egnever]

11. I find it hard to see how it doesn't

He has effectively taken Israel out of negotiations on Palestine and IMHO made Israel the problem and not the Palestinians. It is hard to fathom how Israel has gone from a land for oppressed people to the oppressors but that seems to be where it has gone.

[KamaAina]

12. Dubya’s Ugly Win Did Harm America - By KamaAina

Just sayin'.

[LeftishBrit]

14. Thatcher's Ugly Win Did Harm the UK...

[KamaAina]

15. Was it that close?

[LeftishBrit]

16. No - 'ugly' here refers to tactics, not that she stole the election

Unfortunately, it wasn't that close (though she never got an absolute majority of votes). But she and the media did a lot of nasty propaganda. She was cleverer than Netanyahu, but like him in some ways: especially treating all those who disagreed with her as the enemy. Also, our electoral system gives the winning party a disproportionate share of the seats: at her zenith in 1983, she had 43% of the votes but over 60% of the seats.

[napkinz]

13. K&R

nt