- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

Loud, Divided, and Dysfunctional: Here's What You Need to Know About Israel's Opposition

Subscribe
Although united by their desire to get rid of PM Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's opposition is largely divided, often lacking a unified agenda; and while incompatible elements of the camp are pulling the rope in different directions, their dream to present an alternative to the current government has become remote.

Before 1977, when the hawkish Likud party first seized power in Israel's parliamentary elections, its leader Menachem Begin spoke about the importance of an active opposition, saying it was crucial for a strong democracy.

In his vision, the opposition was supposed to present an alternative to the government, supervise its activity, and offer a unified bloc that would push for legislation that strived to improve the lives of all Israelis.

But, just as is often the case, his vision collided with reality. So what's wrong with Israel's opposition? Here is what you need to know.

It's Small, Divided, and Lacks a Joint Agenda

Israel's opposition is made up of less than 50 members belonging to five different parties that, if it were up to them, would not even glance at each other, let alone sit on the same benches in the Knesset.

First, there is the Joint Arab List, an alliance of Arab parties, some of which reject the mere concept of Israel and advocate for an end to its occupation – the very same occupation that pays them their salaries.

In 2018, for example, its head, Ayman Oudeh, slammed "Israel's occupation", saying that one day it will be defeated, with the lands, expropriated by the Israelis, going back to their "rightful owners".

"Jerusalem too", he said back then, "will go back to Palestine and will become the capital of the Palestinian state".

Now let's add to the mixture the Yisrael Beitenu party, whose chief, Avigdor Lieberman, is known for his discriminatory bills and comments. In 2003, Lieberman offered to "drown Palestinian prisoners in the Dead Sea" and promised to fund busses for PA inmates that would take them to places "where nobody would find them".

Three years later, he stirred uproar after comparing Arab MKs, whom he viewed as the Palestinian Authority's collaborators, to the Nazis, suggesting that Israel should put them on trial just as was the case after World War II.

More recently, attending a debate on one of Israel's channels, he refused to shake the hand of Ayman Oudeh, the leader of the Joint Arab List, and expressed his hope that Israel would "get rid of him, together with others amid a territorial swap", if it were ever to take place.

Now, however, those whom he wanted to "dispatch to Gaza" will not only stay, but will also sit next to him in the Knesset.

Naftali Bennett's Yamina party – also known for its hawkish views that called for expelling Palestinians – has made it into the opposition too, after its members failed to reach an agreement with Netanyahu over a number of portfolios.

Although similar in their ideology, Yamina and Yisrael Beitenu are also likely to clash, especially given the fact that during the three election campaigns, Lieberman made sure to slam Israel's entire religious community, of which Yamina is a part.

Another party that will find it difficult to swallow Lieberman's hawkish views is the left-wing Meretz party that fights for the equality of Jews and Arabs. For Lieberman, however, they are no more than "representatives of the Palestinians" whose headquarters "should have been moved to Ramallah, together with their colleagues at the Joint Arab List".

Luckily for them all, Israel's new opposition will also have Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid party that positions itself in the centre and that now will not only be responsible for fighting against the coalition, but will also need to make sure that elements of the opposition don't kill each other.

But even this "peace keeper" is not exactly considered to be an objective player. For Israeli Arabs, Lapid will always be remembered for his decision to exempt "people who served in the army" from VAT in the purchase of their first flat, a mission impossible for most Arabs, who don't enrol in the IDF; and for the religious community, he will always be associated with his father's policies, who made it his life's mission to fight religion and prevent it from interfering in Israel's political affairs.

It's Weak and Barks More Than It Bites

Although the opposition has promised to "embitter the lives" of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his loyalists, history shows that it is often the opposition that struggles to stay afloat.

Where will the Israeli public feel it? In the field of legislation. For a bill to become a law in Israel, it needs the support of at least 61 parliamentarians. Given the fact that the current opposition barely has 50 members, it is unlikely they will be able to turn their pre-election promises into reality, leaving many voters frustrated and dissatisfied. The result will be: more bickering and heated debates in the Knesset (grab some popcorn while watching), but zero action.

Such was the case in 2012, for example, when out of 79 propositions offered by the opposition, only 17 passed. The rest were blocked by the coalition. In comparison, the government proposed 148 bills, all of which were made into legislation.

In 2019, the situation slightly improved and out of the 246 laws that eventually passed in the Knesset, 37 percent were proposed and pushed for by the opposition – still a relatively low amount when compared to the activity of the government.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала