The French daily Le Figaro wrote on Friday about the formation of a government in Israel:
»Eight parties with opposing convictions and only scant support have come together to knock Benjamin Netanyahu off his pedestal (…). Only this prime minister, record holder with the length of his term of office, was able to bring such an unlikely “coalition of change” to light – albeit against him. For 25 years, including 15 in power, Netanyahu has occupied almost all of the space.
He brought the “start-up nation” a spectacular economic leap, but without leading them out of a security policy impasse that forces him to wage war against his neighbors twice a decade. The disappearance of “King Bibi” could certainly leave a vacuum. Half of the society that is suffocated by his rule, however, seems willing to take that risk. “
Regarding the formation of a government in Israel, the British daily “The Guardian” said on Friday:
“Nerve-wracking coalition talks are normal for Israel’s fragmented and fragile party system. But there are still many delicate moments ahead. Naftali Bennett, a right-wing nationalist and former chief of staff to Benjamin Netanyahu, who supports the permanent annexation of the West Bank, has to win a parliamentary vote within about ten days. His coalition has a wafer-thin majority of 61 seats in the 120-seat Knesset.
Netanyahu will use every weapon in his arsenal to break that majority before the vote. His fall, should he happen, would be a great opportunity. But as long as Israeli politics is on a knife edge, it will be difficult to seize this opportunity. There will be little incentive for the post-Netanyahu regime to find new approaches to relations with the Palestinians or on any of the major regional issues that the former prime minister used in such a destructive manner to his advantage. It may be the end of an old era. But it is not yet the beginning of a new one. “
The Spanish newspaper »El País« commented on the formation of a government in Israel on Friday:
»The government pact signed by a heterogeneous coalition of eight parties is a milestone for Israeli democracy. Because Benjamin Netanyahu would be replaced as Prime Minister after twelve years when the new government is sworn in. And because it would overcome a paralysis that made four elections necessary in just two years. The parties of the nationalist right, the reformist center and the classic left have come together in the coalition and, in an unprecedented development of great importance, have also included an Arab party.
There is no doubt that the new government will have major problems in the face of this ideological heterogeneity. It is quite possible that it will therefore only last for a short time. It will hardly be able to act on essential issues such as the conflict with the Palestinians, because the parties involved have too different views on this. But it will be good for Israel if Netanyahu is now to stand trial, and it will also be good for Israel to end a policy that created an illusion of security and at the same time created dangerous frustration for the Palestinians. “
The Viennese newspaper »Der Standard« writes about the formation of a government in Israel:
»Social democracy meets neoliberalism, social liberalism meets Islamists, whose central coalition condition was not to mention anything in the treaty about the rights of same-sex couples and transgender people. Can that go well?
Nobody knows. But anyone who thinks that despite all the criticism it would have been better to stay with Netanyahu, since with him you at least know what you are getting, you are mistaken. Apart from the fact that this alternative did not even exist because the Likud boss himself did not bring about a government. At Netanyahu, you just don’t know what you’re getting. (…) After weeks of violence in the streets, which was also fueled by Netanyahu’s allies, the picture that shows the head of an Arab party signing a treaty with Zionist parties is a boon for many. “
The “Neue Zürcher Zeitung” commented on Friday about the participation of the Arab minority in Israel in government:
“In the short term, the involvement of Arab parties in the government is unlikely to have any impact on Middle East policy, as (ex-Defense Minister Naftali) Bennett becomes prime minister, an advocate of Jewish settlement policy and a vehement opponent of a Palestinian state. A majority of the coalition partners are right-wing nationalists who are critical of Netanyahu’s person, but not his political positions. The Palestinians in the occupied territories are following the latest developments in Israel rather indifferently.
Even within Israel, the political involvement of an Arab party alone will not lead to reconciliation between Jews and Muslims. The recent religious unrest and pogroms have shown how fragile coexistence is. With the historic coalition agreement, however, at least one taboo has been broken. Politically, the Arab Israelis are no longer pariah. That will certainly bring Jewish and Arab citizens closer together in the longer term. “
The social democratic Norwegian daily »Dagsavisen« (Oslo) commented on the change of government in Israel on Friday:
“The political patchwork is looking chaotic, but all changes are now for the better for Israel, which has been politically at a standstill for the past few years. Four elections were held in two years and no state budget could be agreed. Netanyahu still chairs the largest party, but has lacked legitimacy as a leader since he was accused of corruption. For one mess to replace another can be a good thing. There is hope in change. “
“Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung” (Heidelberg) on Israel:
Applied to German conditions, the left and AfD would, among others, be sitting at a cabinet table in the future, plus a few eco-fundamentalists, and, and, and. This cannot and will not last long. Thus, the only goal of this alliance is to end Netanyahu’s long political career – best sealed by a court ruling. The previous opposition leader Lapid subordinates his own ambitions to this goal. It is absolutely clear that the far-right Naftali Bennet will initially become prime minister, but that his party will never remain loyal to the coalition after the planned handover to Lapid after two years. Everyone knows that. So Lapid is counting on the gratitude of the Israeli voters to catch up on it that it was he who ended the Netanyahu era. Nobody knows whether the plan will even begin to work. But because there is no better one, there is no alternative.
»Südwest-Presse« (Ulm) on Israel
The new Israeli government rules with an extremely slim majority of just one vote in the Israeli parliament. For the traditionally fragmented party system, this gives the smaller coalition partners of the Knesset an extremely effective fuse. You can threaten to break up the alliance at any time in order to achieve your own goals. And it will be extremely difficult to satisfy the wishes of all members equally, given its opulent political breadth. Then the new coalition could become historic for another reason: as the shortest in Israeli history.
“Mitteldeutsche Zeitung” (Halle) on Israel
Nothing describes the polarization of Israeli society better than the opposing political positions of the two men who want to retire Netanyahu. Naftali Bennett is an Orthodox Jew, a settler friend who wants to annex the West Bank. Jair Lapid, on the other hand, is a secular Jew who believes a two-state solution in the Middle East is feasible. The fact that these two men are now getting closer and possibly also accepting an Arab party into the governing coalition for the first time in Israel’s history clearly shows: Bennett and Lapid have understood that only unusual alliances can lead the country out of the political crisis. It has long been time for it.
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