ISRAEL: BENNETT BETWEEN THE HAMMER AND THE ANVIL

Aprile 15, 2022

ISRAEL: BENNETT BETWEEN THE HAMMER AND THE ANVIL

The MED This Week newsletter provides expert analysis and informed insights on the most significant developments in the MENA region, bringing together unique opinions on the topic and reliable foresight on future scenarios. Today, we turn the spotlight on Israel, focusing on the recent spike in terror attacks and the government crisis.

Israel is experiencing one of its deadliest wave of violence in years. On April 7th, an attack in central Tel Aviv claimed the lives of three people and wounded some ten others. The shooting was the latest in a series of lethal aggressions across Israel, carried out since March 22nd by both Arab citizens of Israel and Palestinians from the West Bank. Many factors appear to have contributed to such a surge of violence. The legitimation crisis of the Palestinian Authority and the recent developments in the process of Arab normalisation with Israel are part of the broader background. Beyond their deadly outcomes, the episodes do not fit easily within a common narrative. Even though all the perpetrators came from difficult socio-economic backgrounds marked by institutionalised discrimination, it seems that the assaults were organised by “lone wolves”. Overall, this deterioration in public security comes during a turbulent period for Israel’s politics. On the eve of the Tel Aviv shooting, the Bennett-Lapid government lost its majority at the Knesset. In an unexpected move, Idit Salman, a senior lawmaker from Bennett’s Yamina party, announced her resignation from the coalition. Salman’s decision was but the ultimate evidence of the pitfalls of the heterogeneous governing group that was formed to put an end to the premiership of Benjamin Netanyahu. While in the past year the Bennett-Lapid government has been able to reach some results at both the domestic and international levels, its mixed composition has always represented its main Achilles’ heel. Left with no majority, the executive might survive with the external support of some opposition members. Yet, the possibility of early elections might not be so unlikely.

The experts of the ISPI MED network react to the political crisis and the security challenges Israel is currently facing.