A day before the inauguration of the record-breaking sixth government of Benjamin Netanyahu, its basic outlines were published and all the coalition agreements, which are not legally binding, were submitted to the Knesset.
According to the first section of the basic guidelines, perhaps the most important to some of the coalition partners, "The Jewish people have an exclusive and unquestionable right to all parts of the Land of Israel. The government will promote and develop a community in all parts of the Land of Israel in the Galilee, the Negev, the Golan, Judea, and Samaria."
In the coalition agreement with Itamar Ben Gvir's 'Jewish Strength' party (Otzmah Yehudit), the section that is causing a stir amends the fundamental law of the Knesset, "the purpose of the section will be implemented in practice, and it will be possible to disqualify participation in the elections of a list or candidates who deny the existence of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state or incite racism or support terrorism.” The clause is being panned as an authoritarian nationalistic law that seeks to deny dissent and targets Arab lawmakers.
Prime Minister designate Netanyahu signs final papers for coalition agreement with Otzma Yehudit head Itamar Ben Gvir, on a table this morning at the Knesset cafeteria. With agreements signed with other parties, the government will be in place shortly.
— James J. Marlow (@James_J_Marlow) December 28, 2022
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Ben Gvir’s signed agreement further states that “a situation will not be created in which one public is discriminated against and only one party is disqualified, and supporters of terrorism are not disqualified."
This demand was called the "Marzel-Ben Ari Law", after those whom the High Court prevented from running for the Knesset. In addition, the agreement with Otzmah Yehudit includes a clause according to which a legislative amendment will be made so the punishment will be made more severe for sexual assaults based on nationalistic and racial grounds.
Israel: Knesset session underway to pass remaining legislation needed for finalizing the coalition agreement with the Jewish Power party, after Netanyahu's Likud signs with 3 member parties — @jregevi24news pic.twitter.com/Lw8NhBTMGz
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) December 28, 2022
This law is thought to be a response to the rape and murder of Ori Ansbacher, a 19-year-old woman from the Israeli community of Tekoa. Arafat Irafaiya, a man who had served time in Israeli prisons for terrorism was captured in Ramallah and pled guilty to the crime. Irafaiya admitted to raping and murdering Ori, saying that the attack wasn't planned aside from his purchasing of a kippa so that he could enter Israel undetected, adding "I entered Israel with a knife because I wanted to become a martyr and murder a Jew, I met the girl by chance”
The agreement’s section for Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionism (Hatzionit Hadatit) party includes 183 articles. According to one of them, the government will work to increase the wages of soldiers in regular service by 20% and to compare the wages of soldiers in the last half of the year of service to the minimum wage in the economy. In addition, it is noted the government will work to increase scholarships for students who are veterans of the military and national service.
Along with this, it is written that the government will promote positive preference for military veterans in the university faculties of medicine, law, computer science, accounting, and engineering.
Protest over preventing #Israel from joining the 'Istanbul Convention': "No limit on attempts to harm #women". Agreement between #Netanyahu and #Smotrich, according to which Israel will not join the international convention to combat violence against women. pic.twitter.com/CorHBjmK4X
— Eli Dror (@edrormba) December 25, 2022
Perhaps the broadest statement in the agreement that sums up the government's guidelines was that Israel "will work to strengthen national security and provide personal security to citizens while resolutely fighting violence and terrorism; will work to continue the fight against Iran's nuclear program; will strengthen the status of Jerusalem; and will work to promote peace with all neighbors while preserving security and historical interests and the nationalism of Israel."
