Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog (Photo: Office of Israel's President)

No, Israel Is Not Turning Into A Far-Right Theocracy (At Least Not Anytime Soon)

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Emanuel Engelmayer
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Benjamin Netanyahu has officially been given the mandate by President Herzog to form the new government. If all goes smoothly, by the end of this week Netanyahu will become prime minister for the 6th time in his political career that began in the mid-1980s.

For Israelis and other critics of Netanyahu, for the very first time, it is not Bibi they are fearing most but other factions of the right-wing government, such as the ultra-orthodox presence along with far-right figures such as Ben Gvir and Smotrich. The new expected government like most ungodly things is far from perfect; however, the destruction of Israel and its democracy as some loud opposers are suggesting is not the case for many reasons. 

In Israeli left-wing circles, for example, some are premeditatedly forecasting the destruction of secular livelihood in Israel due to the large presence of ultra-orthodox Knesset members aligned with Bibi. What many seem to forget is that these Jewish-religious parties are completely socially focused and while they would like to offer further government aid to their communities, they have no intention of taking away a livelihood or what is called the 'status quo' from others.

It should be remembered that the late Yitzhak Rabin formed his second coalition with the ultra-orthodox party “Shas”, and based his partnership with them on shared socialist ideals such as various welfare projects that focused on Israel's periphery communities. If anyone should actually be complaining, it’s fiscal conservatives who should be worried that the soon-to-be coalition of the man who turned Israel into a capitalist state will include heavily socialist aspects. However, the fear-mongering left has led many to actually think secular Tel Aviv will soon become the Israeli equivalent of Kiryas Yoel, in Monroe New York or the Mea Shearim neighborhood of Jerusalem; which are both closed for Sabbath. 

Another issue the left has been hammering in is Israeli education and how it would change with Ultra-Orthodox Shas and the UTJ in power. Well sure, hypothetically the ultra-orthodox would love to deliver a broader Jewish education to the children of a predominantly secular Israel, but they know just as much as those spreading the fears know, no such thing will happen. Until they actually have the numbers in the population to support wholesale changes to a secularized education system, there is no way a Knesset that is split evenly would allow that to happen. Many in the Likud party would stand against such changes, preventing the adoption of the draconian change far-left lawmakers are claiming. 

The Israeli parliamentary system and often extremely fluid shift of powers would not allow for such a drastic reform in education, even if it was part of the coalition members' plan. Additionally, on a side note regarding a Jewish education, is it really that bad to include more bible studies in the Jewish state’s public education system? If it was done in the context of 'this is our history as opposed to 'this is what we should all be doing' it would help many unaffiliated Jews in Israel understand more about their heritage. Many first and second-generation Jews who came from the former Soviet States have little to no connection to their Jewish past. Offering them the ability to learn about the Jewish nation seems a logical approach considering this is a Jewish state.

Despite the fears of  “Jewish Sharia law”, the entire world has been focusing on Israel’s political rising star, Itamar Ben Gvir. What all the worried spectators probably have not done, is actually read the platform “Otzma Yehudit” (Jewish Strength) and “Hatzionut Hadatit” (Religious Zionists) campaigned with as part of a general much-needed face-lift their political faction went through. Much of the reason for their success was the moderation of their platform. Until now, the two parties were on the fringe of politics because of their extreme views, but once they adopted a more inclusive platform support for them increased.

Yes, the new “far-right” of Israel is as Zionist as it gets. They proudly support the annexation of Judea and Samaria, but they also promote the largest free market economic agenda ever seen in the Knesset. They want to modernize the bureaucratic socialist infrastructure Israel was founded on and turn it into a lean and efficient system meant to support a capitalist philosophy.

They also support the death penalty for any and all terrorists convicted in an Israeli high court; something that is more than reasonable considering the fact that 27 US states have active capital punishment laws. The fact remains, many terrorists in Israeli jails are treated better than impoverished Israelis living in the peripheries. They have the opportunity to go to university, earn advanced degrees, and often are released far earlier than their sentences as part of Israel's unwavering commitment to bring every single body home, dead or alive. A death penalty would save the state tens of millions of shekels per year and discourage acts of terror.

Unlike what some of his many opponents want the world to think, Ben Gvir does not support acts of violence against Arab residents and citizens of Israel and has condemned those who do on numerous occasions. In one of his most recent speeches, Ben Gvir had the guts to deliver his words at the Meir Kahane memorial event and was booed after telling the extremist crowd that he is not like the slain, radical rabbi. Ben Gvir might have been educated by the Kahane philosophy, but he certainly does not advocate the wholesale deportation of Palestinians in Judea and Samaria.

Nevertheless, say all the things in the latter are propaganda in itself and both Shas, the UTJ and Otzma Yehudit are as radical as it gets, never forget who is the ultimate boss, Benjamin Netanyahu. Many disapprove of Bibi due to ongoing accusations of corruption and his seamlessly endless role as a leader in Israel, but nobody even among his fiercest opponents will accuse him or the Likud of being radical. In fact, Netanyahu is anything but and his past actions of controlling multiple cabinet portfolios prove that no one minister can affect wholesale change without his tacit approval. 

Netanyahu along with the Likud represents a moderate, capitalist, and socially-liberal agenda that has proven to be successful not only in Israel but all of western society. There is no scenario in which Netanyahu would jeopardize his position as a world-respected leader and true Zionist if he truly thought his coalition is infested with dangerous fascism and uncontrollable extremism. Immediately after far-left rumors of his government canceling the world-famous Israeli pride parades, Netanyahu came out firmly against this and assured the public that there is no change to LGBTQ laws in Israel and there will be none.

What Israel’s left and their global audience should be doing perhaps instead of creating unneeded anti-Zionist rhetoric, is focusing on why they lost so badly. Divisions in their own ranks, the egotism of party leaders, and making the election about Netanyahu and not the citizens who are voting are the reasons they lost. Netanyahu might have a four-seat majority, but the division between right and left was less than 30,000 votes overall.

The reason for the added seats has more to do with how the left ran their campaigns than it does with how far-right the Israeli electorate is going. Keep in mind, tens of thousands of votes were thrown away when the progressive Meretz party and the Arab party Balad did not cross the threshold. Had they both had agreements within their bloc, the end result of the election would be much different and Lapid or Benny Gantz would likely be forming the next government.

The left lost because they themselves were not united, Netanyahu and the center-right won because they were. It is as simple as that.

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