Israeli Prime Minister lost his parliamentary majority last week. Not a lot changes in the short term as a result, as this government went from being able to do very little because of the opposing ideologies of various parts of the governing coalition to being completely paralyzed by not having enough votes for…well, just about anything now.
But in my latest piece for Responsible Statecraft, I look at the medium and longer term ramifications of this development for U.S. policy in the region, for Israel’s ongoing apartheid policies, and for the looming and teetering Iran nuclear deal revival. While it was never likely that this government would last long enough for Yair Lapid to assumed the Prime Minister’s role, this development seals that fate, and it is now only a matter of when this government will fall, new elections will be called, and the imminent threat of the return of the Likud and Benjamin Netanyahu to power comes to full force.
While in many ways, this government hasn’t departed from Netanyahu’s policies at all in terms of international affairs, the increased political intrigue combines with the inability to take any steps domestically to make Palestine and Iran the likely sites for any political theater and provocative steps to enhance candidates’ standing. It may well matter in that sense.
All of this and more at Responsible Statecraft.
[…] How the Israeli government shake-up will affect US-relations — […]