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After almost two years out of power, Benjamin Netanyahu won the elections in Israel and was able to shape the coalition that will make him the new Prime Minister. However, within days of finalizing the alliances, foreign aggressions began to arrive. In this case, it is not another state or a political leader, but The New York Times.
The editorial board chose to publish an article warning about the dangers that “Bibi’s” return to power posed to the region. Under the title The Ideal of Democracy in a Jewish State Is in Jeopardy, they asserted that the “coalition’s victory was narrow and cannot be seen as a broad mandate to make concessions to ultrareligious and ultranationalist parties that are putting the ideal of a democratic Jewish state in jeopardy.”
Before continuing, the NYT clarified that “this board has been a strong supporter of Israel and a two-state solution for many years, and we remain committed to that support,” and then added that “Mr. Netanyahu’s comeback as prime minister, a year and a half after he was ousted from office, can’t be divorced from the corruption allegations that have followed him. He is now doing everything he can to stay in power, by catering to the demands of the most extreme elements of Israeli politics,” they added.
The editorial also noted that Netanyahu would include in his government “radical far-right parties” that seek to expand settlements in biblical areas such as Judea and Samaria, as well as “undermining the authority of the Israeli Supreme Court, thus freeing the Knesset, the Israeli legislature, to do whatever it wants, with little judicial restraint.”
As for the Supreme Court, currently the judges who sit on it can choose their successors, avoiding much ideological alternation in the judicial body. Specifically, the NYT understands that the next prime minister hopes that “the new government will save him from prosecution and possible prison sentences.”
“Among the targets of the new leaders is the Israeli Supreme Court, which, in the absence of a national constitution, has served to weigh government actions against international law and the Israeli state’s own traditions and values. The nationalists would diminish this authority by voting to give themselves the power to override Supreme Court decisions. Not incidentally, they have also proposed eliminating the law under which Mr. Netanyahu faces a possible prison term,” the editorial added.
Netanyahu’s response: “Shameful”
“Bibi” decided to respond through his Twitter account, where he strongly criticized the newspaper for its coverage of the Holocaust and accused them of wanting to generate instability in a government that has not yet begun.
“After burying the Holocaust for years on its back pages and demonizing Israel for decades on its front pages, the New York Times now shamefully calls for undermining Israel’s elected incoming government,” Netanyahu claimed on the social networking site.
This was the fourth legislative election that Israel held in five years, due to the difficulty faced by the political parties in forming stable coalitions. Netanyahu’s return to power will continue to add to the length of his term, which, in total, is already the longest in Israel’s history.
Joaquín Núñez es licenciado en comunicación periodística por la Universidad Católica Argentina. Se especializa en el escenario internacional y en la política nacional norteamericana. Confeso hincha de Racing Club de Avellaneda. Contacto: [email protected] // Joaquín Núñez has a degree in journalistic communication from the Universidad Católica Argentina. He specializes in the international scene and national American politics. Confessed fan of Racing Club of Avellaneda. Contact: [email protected]