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Posted: 29 May 2019 12:38 PM PDT
It seems that another contraction has begun.
In just this past week over 1,700 fires were extinguished across Israel. The government called in assistance from neighboring countries Egypt, Greece, Cyprus, Croatia, and Italy to deal with the rapidly spreading infernos. Dozens of homes were destroyed and 40 percent of the Ben Shemen Forest was obliterated. The Jewish communities of Mavo Modi'im and Negohot were particularly hard hit. In fact, at this very moment there is a fire raging in Mevaseret Zion, just outside of Jerusalem.  On the other side of the world, tornadoes have wreaked havoc throughout the United States in what is now the longest contiguous streak of tornadoes in the U.S. since 1980. 22 states have been hit in just the past two weeks. 38 people have been killed so far this year.  Around the world, there have been major, record-breaking floods in the U.S. Great Plains and Midwest, China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, Paraguay, The Maldives, Mozambique, South Africa, and other parts of Africa.  On the peace plan front, The Jerusalem Post is reporting that Jared Kushner and Mideast negotiator Jason Greenblatt have just arrived in Israel. |
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Posted: 29 May 2019 10:57 AM PDT
UPDATE (4:30 PM CT): The last minute wrangling was to no avail. Netanyahu and his Likud party failed to gain support from the 61 MKs needed to form a government. In the end, Avigdor Lieberman wouldn't budge on his demands. Then, moments ago, the Knesset voted 74-45 to dissolve itself and hold a new election on September 17th. This is unprecedented in Israeli election history. The vote was held to prevent runner-up Benny Gantz from being offered the opportunity to form a government. It appears that Netanyahu will remain Prime Minister in the interim.
UPDATE (2:00 PM CT): Netanyahu caves on Lieberman's demand. Will support draft bill as is. Netanyahu has apparently secured 60 MKs and needs just one more. Kulanu will also throw in with the coalition if Netanyahu can get the 61st MK to sign on. The question now remains: how will Lieberman respond and will the ultra-Orthodox parties jump ship?
 With less than four hours to go before a midnight deadline, current Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is racing to cobble together the 61 seat coalition in the Knesset needed to form a government. Prospects have turned grim as Avigdor Lieberman is refusing to abandon his push for a bill that would make mandatory conscription of ultra-Orthodox Jews in the national draft. If no coalition is formed by midnight, the Knesset will dissolve and new elections will need to be held—unprecedented in Israeli history. Why this? Why now? Apparently Netanyahu is suddenly scrambling to garner support from political enemies like the Labor Party, but so far they have turned down the offers. What this is leading to in the short term, and how this ends, is anyone's guess, but it's all happening at a very fragile time in the Middle East with Russia and Iran firmly planted in Syria, and Iran now moving full throttle toward enriching weapons grade uranium, all the while U.S. and Iranian forces are in a tense standoff. I can say this with confidence: if the Knesset dissolves, Israel will be entering dangerous and turbulent water. Will her enemies look to exploit the power vacuum and political chaos for attack? In other news, this week Jared Kushner travels to the Middle East to once again shore up support for his comprehensive "Deal of the Century", and, from his perspective, hopefully seal the deal. The Palestinian Authority is not on board, but all of the key Gulf players seem to be behind it.  |
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