Insight and opinion from The National’s editorial leadership
December 23, 2022
It is quite possible that Benjamin Netanyahu – one of the most remarkable politicians in Israel's history – wishes he had delayed the publication of his recently released autobiography, Bibi, My Story.
If he had, he could have included a final chapter about Tuesday's news that he has managed to form a new government. It means he will now add yet more time to his record of being the longest-serving prime minister in Israeli history, with previous stints between 1996-1999 and then 2009-2021.
On a personal level, it is a remarkable comeback. He is fighting corruption allegations in court. By becoming prime minister, he has bought himself time and clout to push back.
He has relied on the most right-wing coalition partners in Israeli history to do so. Some are from traditional ultra-orthodox parties. They stand for policies to emphasise Israel's religious Jewish identity, at the expense of its competing secular one.
Tyres burn as violence flares between Palestinian protesters and Israeli troops in the occupied West Bank following the funeral of Mufid Khalil in the village of Beit Ummar, near Hebron. AP
A Israeli soldier in Beit Ummar. Israeli forces shot dead three Palestinians in the occupied West Bank on November 29, Palestinian officials say. AFP
Mourners comfort the mother of Mohammed Badarneh, a 25-year-old Palestinian killed during protests as Israeli forces raided the West Bank town of Yabad on November 30. AFP
A Palestinian protester throws rocks in Beit Ummar. AFP
Israeli troops collect evidence after an Israeli soldier was injured in a car-ramming attack near the Israeli settlement of Kochav Yakov in the West Bank. AP
Items belonging to the Israeli soldier at the scene of the attack. Reuters
The Israeli army demolishes two Palestinian houses in the Jabal Johar area of the West Bank, near a settlement. AFP
Palestinian protesters take cover after a demonstration against Israeli settlements in the West Bank. EPA
Palestinians at a house stormed by Israeli soldiers during operation to arrest a suspected gunman in the West Bank city of Jenin. A Palestinian man died of after being injured in the raid, health authorities said. EPA
An Israeli soldier aims his rifle at a Palestinian during violence in Hebron. Reuters
A Palestinian walks through tear gas during violence near the West Bank city of Nablus. EPA
But the partners getting the most attention are newer, far-right ones. While they also advocate ultra-religious policies, they also stood on manifestos that include policies that would have been considered taboo in previous times. Bezalel Smotrich, leader of the Religious Zionist Party, has faced accusations of plotting attacks against Palestinians. Itamar Ben-Gvir, leader of the Jewish Power party, has espoused racist and inflammatory ideas.
With such a dramatic new coalition, every branch of government could be affected. Only time will tell how such a complex development will shape the country going forward. The issues to watch now will be which of these coalition members get senior ministerial positions, therefore giving them a strong basis on which to push hardline policies.
This picture will emerge from the halls of power of Israel. Many liberals, whose parties suffered bad, if not terrible, results in the elections, will be looking on with a sense of powerlessness.
But, as ever, the group most vulnerable and unable to shape the future are Palestinians.
It is not so much because of a lack of political representation. That has always been the case, even during the last coalition in which three Arab parties joined forces to become the first Arab bloc ever to be part of an Israeli government.
This time, it is because of what appears to be a political chapter in Palestine and Israel in which the pursuit of a meaningful peace process seems more distant than ever. The government also comes off the back of a particularly violent year. More than 150 Palestinians and more than 20 Israelis have been killed in the West Bank and Israel in 2022, according to the UN Middle East envoy Tor Wennesland.
This is a tumultuous situation for Mr Netanyahu to manage. Israel is racked by one of the biggest identity crises in its history. While it does finally appear to have a stable government after a phase of political chaos in which five elections were held in three years, uncertainty elsewhere abounds.
Palestinians and Israelis need more than the close of a chaotic political chapter. They need a government that is able to bring the country together, particularly as regional security and economic challenges mount.
Mr Netanyahu is an experienced politician, and, if he wants to wield it, he has the experience and influence to ease the situation, at least to some extent. That might be the case, but there are significant doubts among liberals that he wants to do that and uncertainty reins supreme. There is one certainty, though: Israel's next chapter will be a historic and pivotal one.
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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Uefa Nations League: How it works
The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.
The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.
Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.
Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
