Jerusalem24 – The current Israeli government coalition is facing its most difficult challenges as of yet, from a visit by US president Joe Biden being postponed, to the coalition finding itself unable to renew emergency regulations in the occupied West Bank that have been in place for over five decades.
The legislation in question subjects Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank to Israeli civil and criminal law, instead of the Israeli military law that applies to Palestinians in the same area. The law was originally drafted after the 1967 six-day war and is an emergency measure that comes up for renewal every five years.
However, on Monday the Israeli government coalition failed to mobilize a majority to extend the provisions of the law. The law was supported by only 52 of the 120 members of Knesset. Right-wing parties in the opposition refused support for the law as well as all other laws the government currently proposes.
Israeli MKs such as Gideon Sa’ar are saying that the Israeli government will not survive a failure to pass the law.
[box type=”info” align=”” class=”” width=””]The law, which extends “emergency provisions” in the occupied West Bank, was passed 55 years ago after the Six-Day War and includes a set of emergency regulations instituted by the government. Every five years a law is passed to extend its implementation across the occupied West Bank. According to the Israel Democracy Institute, the law allows Israel to apply its laws and legal systems in the occupied territories. The regulations provide the authority for an Israeli to be tried in Israel according to Israeli civil and military law. The same law is also used to try Palestinians in military courts in the West Bank, and transfer them to an Israeli prison within the Green Line if sentenced. The practice is illegal under international law. As Israeli settlements were established in the territories, the law was made so as to consider the Israelis living in the territories as residents of Israel – for the sake of state obligations such as taxes and licensing. Over five decades it has created a de facto situation in which two peoples are living in the same area under different legal systems, to the benefit of the Israelis.[/box]
Political analyst Chris Whitman tells Jerusalem24 that the failure to get an extension is not necessarily an end for the Israeli government coalition. The regulations and procedures expire at the end of July, giving the coalition ample time to regroup.
The Israeli television station Kan reported on Wednesday that the coalition plans to push for a new vote to extend the regulations next week on Sunday, with the coalition promising to secure a majority.
According to a poll by the Israeli Democracy Institute conducted in May 2022, 60% of Israelis believe the government will fail before the end of the year.
In the event of a coalition collapse, only 30% of Israelis are prepared to face another election.
The likely successor to Bennett would be Benjamin Netanyahu – who famously had a fractured relationship with former US president Barack Obama, and whose second-in-command was current President Biden.
In this episode of Wake Up Palestine, political analyst Chris Whitman explains the situation of the Israeli government, what pressure and challenges it is facing, and how it plans to survive.
