Although the cost of living is surging, Israeli-Palestinian tensions are boiling over and Iran remains a central threat, the foremost issue in the vote once again is former leader Benjamin Netanyahuand his fitness to serve amid corruption charges. His main rival is the man who helped oust him last year, the centrist caretaker Prime Minister Yair Lapid.

“These elections are (a choice) between the future and the past. So go out and vote today for our children’s future, for our country’s future,” Lapid said after voting in the upscale Tel Aviv neighborhood where he lives.

Continue reading HERE

Source: https://www.euronews.com/2022/11/01/netanyahu-looks-to-far-right-as-israel-votes-again-to-try-to-break-political-deadlock

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

The post Netanyahu looks to far-right as Israel votes again to try to break political deadlock first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Israel is plagued by an electoral system that gives disproportionate influence to small parties, which usually are needed to get to the minimum threshold of 61 Knesset members to form a government. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so unfortunate if Israel didn’t have to deal with aggression by Iran and its proxy, Hamas. As Anna Ahronheim writes in the Jerusalem Post, “Israel cannot have both security and political instability. Israel’s enemies, be it in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, or the West Bank, are wide awake looking for an opportunity to strike.”

Israel’s behind-the-scenes wars with Iran in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq, and with Palestinian terrorists in the West Bank, are off the radar for most Americans. In the north, Israel has been conducting the “War Between the Wars” to thwart Iranian entrenchment in Syria, stop the transfer of game-changing, precision-guided weapons and drones, and target Iranian-supported missile and drone factories. These operations potentially could spin out of control with a miscalculation, causing regional instability that affects American security interests.

With the resurgence of Hamas-instigated terror operations in the West Bank, Israel has been preemptively conducting its “Break the Wave” operation to counter terrorist activity. But Hamas may see this time of Israeli political uncertainty as an opportunity to increase its attacks.

The political chaos is unfolding as President Biden plans to visit Israel in July. A few days ago, he thought he would be meeting with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, but now he likely will be meeting with foreign minister Yair Lapid as Bennett’s replacement. There is even a possibility that Defense Minister Benny Gantz could defect from the current coalition, swallow hard and rejoin former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with whom he had a falling out, in a new government to avoid elections. Biden has said that his mid-July trip to Saudi Arabia and Israel will be an attempt to bring “more stability and peace to the Middle East.”

Bennett comes from the Israeli right and Lapid from the center-left. The expectation is that Lapid may be more accepting of the Biden administration’s requests regarding the Palestinian Authority, the “two states for two peoples” solution, limiting settlement expansion, and America’s desire to reopen a Palestinian consulate in Jerusalem. However, the Israeli electorate has leaned right since the Second Intifada, which began in September 2000, and likely would see such concessions as a betrayal. Most Israelis view the Palestinian Authority as a corrupt, unreliable partner, with a history of fomenting anti-Semitic ideology in textbooks, mosques and media. If Lapid makes concessions, he could be savaged by Israeli media and political opponents.

The good news is that Israel’s military and security apparatus is apolitical and has decades of experience coordinating its tactical operations with the United States, even when its government has interim leadership. However, on a more significant geostrategic level, it is hard to make major decisions when you are a temporary prime minister. Israel’s moderate allies — the Gulf states, Egypt and Jordan — who are developing an American-initiated defense plan with Israel in response to Iran’s escalation, most assuredly would feel better if Israel’s political system were more stable.

The messy Israeli democracy is hard for authoritarians to understand. To advance American policy interests, we need the Arab nations to deepen their relationships with Israel — as some have done with the Abraham Accords — as a counterweight to Iranian expansionism.

As Dan Shapiro, former U.S. ambassador to Israel, points out, U.S. officials “are used to conducting relations with Israel during political crises and election campaigns. The main principle is: Don’t interfere while Israel’s domestic political processes play out. Most normal business, particularly in security cooperation, can continue. While a minority government in Israel is fully empowered, in the case of elections, there may be some decisions a transition government in Israel cannot make.”

The Biden administration reportedly is still trying to salvage an Iran nuclear deal — a reworking of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) forged under President Obama — and is keeping Israel abreast of the negotiations. However, Lapid’s political weakness may force him to take a tougher line with the U.S. Iran, as an enemy to the U.S., Israel and the West in general, seems in no hurry to rejoin the deal now, while U.S. sanctions against it are not fully enforced and the Iranian economy can stay afloat by selling oil to China — though competition with Russian oil exports recently has stepped up.

Without secondary sanctions levied against China, Iran can continue to play hardball and undermine U.S. regional interests. Iran interpreted the U.S. not fully enforcing its sanctions not as a conciliatory gesture but as American weakness to be exploited. Expect Lapid or any Israeli prime minister to ask the U.S. to increase sanctions if Iran continues to develop its nuclear weapons program.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recently sanctioned Iran because it refuses to explain uranium found in undeclared nuclear sites, and Iran has removed cameras that were monitoring its nuclear facilities. If Iran reneges on its nuclear program commitments, only snap-back sanctions, as promised in the JCPOA, could possibly pressure Iran to change its behavior. Iran knows that America has no credible military threat, making the Iranians more stubborn in negotiations.

There is broad support across the Israeli political spectrum for confronting Iran if it crosses the nuclear threshold — and it will be challenging for the Biden administration if Israel moves towards a significant military response.

American interests are also affected by Israel’s new confrontation with Russia in Syria. Until recently, Israel coordinated its air campaign against Iranian interests in Syria with Russia to avoid any Israeli-Russian conflict. Russia was working with Israel because it was in Russia’s interest to suppress Iranian entrenchment in Syria, since that could threaten Syrian stability. Last week, however, Israel bombed the Damascus Airport where Iran was transiting weapons, infuriating Russia. Taken to the worst extreme, this could escalate to an Israeli attack on Russian anti-missile systems if they were to be used against Israel, setting the region on fire. And with America’s plate full with the Russia-Ukraine war, the last thing Washington needs is a kinetic conflict between its primary ally in the Middle East and the Russian bear.

The U.S.-Israel relationship will survive this political melodrama; the two democracies have navigated through similar challenges before and continued to coordinate their joint security approach to the region. But the situation is not ideal, by far — especially if an interim Israeli prime minister must make a significant decision that affects American national security interests in the coming months.

Dr. Eric R. Mandel is the director of MEPIN, the Middle East Political Information Network. He regularly briefs members of Congress and their foreign policy aides. He is the senior security editor for the Jerusalem Report. Follow him on Twitter @MepinOrg.

Source: https://thehill.com/opinion/international/3532125-israels-government-collapses-again-so-what-now/

The post Israel’s government collapses — again. So, what now? first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid talked up Israel’s military capabilities amid talks between world powers and Iran on restoring the 2015 accord curbing Tehran’s nuclear program.

In an interview aired Friday to mark 10 years since he entered politics, Lapid was asked if Israel has the ability to strike uranium enrichment facilities and/or weapons sites in Iran.

“Israel has capabilities, some of which the world, and even some experts in the field, cannot even imagine. And Israel will protect itself against the Iranian threat,” he told Channel 12 news.

He also indicated Israel could attack Iran if necessary without informing the Biden administration, which is looking to rejoin the nuclear deal. Israel vocally opposed the accord, which is formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

“Israel will do whatever it needs to do to protect its security. And we don’t need anybody’s permission for that. That’s been the case since the first day we established this state,” he said.

Lapid also commented on the negotiations being held in Vienna to revive the nuclear deal, from which former president Donald Trump withdrew in 2018. Iran has since ramped up its nuclear activities in violation of the pact.

The foreign minister said there had not yet been a “capitulation” to Iran during the talks, and stressed: “Israel is not against a good deal, it is only against the wrong deal.”

He added that Israel has shown information to world powers “that proves the Iranians are lying” about their nuclear activities.

Separately, Lapid was asked about Israeli spyware firm NSO Group, which has faced increasing scrutiny in the wake of allegations that its wares have been used by countries to hack opposition politicians, dissidents, journalists and others.

“The [Israeli] license requirements for NSO and all other such cyberattack firms are simple: You can only use it to prevent terror and to prevent serious crime,” he said.

“If anybody used Pegasus, the core program of NSO, for other purposes, they will be brought to justice, and we won’t hide or cover up anybody,” Lapid added.

During the interview, Lapid also defended the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, amid accusations of zigzagging in its response to the emergence of the Omicron variant.

“When I compare us to what is happening in France, Germany, the United States, the developed nations, Israel is handing COVID significantly better than the world average,” he said.

Lapid praised Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s role, saying the premier was managing the pandemic “wisely and carefully.”

“Sometimes you have to respond quickly to changing conditions,” he said of the various policy shifts and restriction changes.

“We’ve not had a single lockdown, we’ve kept the economy open,” he said, referring to the coalition government that took office in June.

Israel’s top diplomat also noted there are currently fewer than 100 serious cases.

Lapid was also asked if he believed Bennett would hand over the premiership to him in September 2023, as the two agreed as part of their power-sharing agreement.

“Yes… I have faith in Naftali, yes,” he said.

Source: https://www.timesofisrael.com/amid-iran-nuke-talks-lapid-says-israel-has-capabilities-many-cannot-even-imagine/

The post Amid Iran nuke talks, Lapid says Israel has capabilities many ‘cannot even imagine’ first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett focused on Iran in a recorded address to the 5th annual Christian Media Summit on Thursday, saying Tehran was instigating terror that threatened Israel and other countries.

“As the world fights this invisible enemy,” he said, referring to COVID-19, “in Israel, we’re also fighting a very visible enemy — radical militant Islam that is sweeping across the Middle East.”

“The terror that begins in Tehran seeks to destroy Israel, dominate the world and drive it into a dark abyss,” he continued.

Bennett also cited positive developments for Israel, saying it was “facing a new dawn” after forging ties the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain last year.

“This conference commemorates the signing of the Abraham Accords, which have contributed greatly to regional stability, prosperity and peace between Israel and her neighbors,” he said.

He added that Israel is the only place in the Middle East “where the Christian community is growing, thriving and prospering.”

“Today, more than ever, Christians stand united with Israel,” he said. “And today, more than ever, Israel stands united with Christians.”

According to the host Government Press Office, over 150 news executives and opinion leaders in Christian media attended this year’s virtual gathering, which it said is meant to “better understanding and strengthen the friendship between Christians” and Israel.

Former prime minister and opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu lauded the Abraham Accords, which were brokered while he was premier, during his speech to the summit.

He portrayed the peace agreements as a defeat for Palestinian rejectionism, calling it the “first time Israel made peace for peace.”

Netanyahu called this a “novel concept” and “the way of the future.”

“We removed the Palestinian veto,” Netanyahu said. “Palestinians don’t want peace with Israel. The Palestinians don’t want a state next to Israel. They want a state instead of Israel.”

Netanyahu added that Arab countries were also pushed toward Israel because of the specter of a nuclear Iran, which “wants to dominate and conquer all these Arab lands and turn everyone against these forces of moderation and the future.”

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, in his address to the summit, discussed “the important role Christian media plays in connecting Christians everywhere with Israel, and in strengthening the friendship between Christians and Jews around the world.”

He said that Christian Zionists could help expand the “circle of peace” and build upon the Abraham Accords.

“Israel is now entering a new era,” Lapid said. “An era of peace, friendship, and coexistence. An era based on the idea that what unites us is greater than what divides us. An era of peace between countries and between peoples.”

The summit included a session with Arab journalists from Abraham Accords countries, a talk on Black Christian Zionism, and messages from well-known rabbis and authors.

Source: https://www.timesofisrael.com/bennett-to-christian-media-summit-iranian-terror-is-sweeping-the-region/

The post Bennett to Christian Media Summit: Iranian terror is sweeping the region first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

The end of an era is upon the State of Israel: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – the longest serving prime minister in the history of the state – will leave office and the “Shinui” or “Change” bloc will be sworn into office as Israel’s new government, according to a Likud source who spoke Thursday night with The Jerusalem Post.

That means Yamina’s chairperson Naftali Bennett will be sworn in as Israel’s new prime minister, an event that has not taken place for the past 12 years.

The decision to facilitate the transfer of government was made Thursday night.

Also Thursday, Yair Netanyahu, son of the incumbent prime minister, said in a tweet that Facebook temporarily blocked his account for a 24-hour period.

The suspension was implemented after the younger Netanyahu wrote a post advocating a demonstration next to the house of Yamina MK Nir Orbach, who has been wavering on his commitment to the new “change” coalition.

Regardless, the transfer of power from the prime minister to his successor is likely to take place next Wednesday, said the Likud source.

“We don’t want to deal with a challenge to the Supreme Court, receive bad press and look like sore losers,” the source said. “We fight the Supreme Court over more serious issues.”

Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid will succeed Bennett and serve as prime minister in two years’ time under a coalition deal agreed to by both men.

Likud Knesset Speaker Yariv Levin is to be replaced by Yesh Atid MK Mickey Levy.

A formal request to begin the process of replacing Levin was submitted to Knesset Secretary Yardena Muller-Horowitz by the 61 Knesset members who are to comprise the new coalition.

Yamina chairperson and incoming prime minister Naftali Bennett told Israel’s Channel 12 News on Thursday that he will soon take office and “end the chaos and get the country back on track.”

Asked about what he will do if Ra’am party leader Mansour Abbas attempts to prevent Israel from going to war with Hamas or Hezbollah, Bennett said he will do what he must to maintain the nation’s security – even if it means going again to an election.

Bennett called Abbas a “courageous” leader and apologized for calling a “supporter of terror” in the past. The Ra’am party, and Abbas, are members of the Southern Islamic Movement, which was founded in 1971 along the general lines of the Muslim Brotherhood, which spawned the Hamas terrorist organization.

The post Report: PM Netanyahu to Leave Office Next Week first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Knesset votes 61-54 with 15 members not present to approve an opposition bill to dissolve the house.

Israel’s parliament voted 61-54 Wednesday in favor of an opposition bill that called for the Knesset to dissolve itself, paving the way to new elections if a national budget cannot be agreed on by next week.

The decision does not automatically mean the country will head to its fourth national election in the past two years, as the legislation now goes to a parliamentary committee for discussion and possible modification before coming back to the house for the required second and third readings expected next week.

Before then, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister and alternate prime minister Benny Gantz still have time to hammer out an agreement on the national budget that might keep their unity government in office.

On Tuesday evening, Gantz announced he would support an opposition call to dissolve the 120-seat Knesset over Netanyahu’s failure to fulfill a coalition agreement to pass a national budget for 2021. It is widely believed that Netanyahu does not want to pass the 2021 budget, as it would stabilize the unity government and pave the way for Gantz to take over as prime minister next November according to their agreement.

A few hours before the vote, Gantz repeated his offer to Netanyahu to avoid elections.

“Anything that prevents elections is a desirable thing. If Netanyahu transfers a budget, everything will work out,” Gantz told the Knesset television channel.

Neither Netanyahu nor Gantz made any statement immediately following the vote, but opposition Yesh Atid party leader Yair Lapid said the vote opened the door to changing the government.

“Dispersing the Knesset is not a victory, it is the first step towards another government, which will take care of corona and take care of the economy and not make the people of Israel hate each other,” Lapid tweeted.

Although the predominantly Arab Joint List voted for the dissolving of the Knesset, the four members of the Ra’am faction decided to abstain by not showing up for the vote, despite hinting previously that they might be prepared to support keeping Netanyahu in power because their supporters did not want elections at this time.

Adding to the pressure on Netanyahu will be the two religious parties in his coalition, Shas and United Torah Judaism (UTJ), with a combined 16 seats between them in the 120-seat Knesset. In early November the High Court of Justice ordered the coalition government to pass a new law by Februarybefore ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students start getting army call-up notices beginning that month.

Should the Knesset dissolve and go to elections, a new military draft law granting exemptions to yeshiva students would be delayed. To prevent their supporters from being forced into military service, Shas and UTJ are expected to work overtime to push Netanyahu and Gantz to agree to a budget and keep the Knesset in session.

According to Kan News, should the law pass the third reading next week, the government has up to five months to set an election date, meaning the elections might not happen until next summer.

By then, President-elect Joe Biden will be well into his first half-year in office, with expectations that his administration will be much less sympathetic to Netanyahu than was President Donald Trump. As well, by the summer, the expected mass vaccination of millions of Israelis could help ease the economic crisis and get Israel’s once robust economy back on track.

Source: https://worldisraelnews.com/knesset-votes-to-dissolve-itself-new-elections-unless-budget-compromise-reached/

The post Knesset votes to dissolve itself; new elections unless budget compromise reached first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

The post US envoy to Israel: Evangelical Christians firmer Israel backers than many Jews first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.