The Likud affect

 

 

Israel’s internal politics and its rhetoric have no takers, or rarely evoke widespread interest. Afterall, the international community is too busy analysing Israel’s external affairs. The reason for this relative lack of interest is the blurring of line that demarcates ‘Left’ from ‘Centre’ and ‘Centre’ from ‘Right’, in Israel's domestic politics. This is precisely why no one takes their politics seriously. Nevertheless, after many years of slumber, Israeli politics is expected to see some fireworks in the near future. In what may not only rejuvenate the battered Likud Party, but will also affect the ‘West-Bank Pullout’ proposal, veteran Israeli politician, Benjamin Netanyahu, has won the race for the party leadership by a thumping majority.

FACTFILE

Israel's domestic politics rarely draws attention

With Benjamin Netanyahu, the hawks are expected to call the shots

Moshe Feiglin is a fanatic



Netanyahu had to face a relatively strong opposition from one Moshe Feiglin, a radical West Bank settler, who is known for his extreme views on the West-Bank pullout. Netanyahu garnered around 74% of the popular votes in comparison to Feiglin’s 22%. Nevertheless, there is a widespread belief among the experts that Feiglin’s performance would help shore the fortunes of the extreme-right-wing of the extreme-right Likud party who are struggling to find their feet. Noted political expert from Israel, Ofra Bengio, said while talking to TSI from Hebron: “This will hurt Netanyahu’s efforts to rehabilitate Likud after it was battered in the national elections last year. Netanyahu has a centrist leaning. Only a strong Netanyahu can felicitate a West-Bank pullout”.

Netanyahu, who loves being called a ‘Hawk’, in recent months, has been trying to position himself in the political centre to try and lure moderate voters. He was the most vocal opponent of the peace deals in the early 1990s, but later, as Prime Minister he negotiated two interim peace deals and handed over most of the West Bank town of Hebron to the Palestinian Authority, whereas Feiglin represents a racist and violent doctrine that has been echoing throughout the settlements and their ideological environment for many years. Likud has not done enough to disassociate itself from it. On the contrary, it has leaned on the strength of this doctrine.

The only difference between the two positions is that while Netanyahu is an acceptable politician, Feiglin is in the same lane as any other fanatic right wing preaching hatred and expecting people to believe everything that he says.