Something interesting appears to be developing with the Government of Naphtali Bennett in Israel. He continues to make diplomatic and political moves which suggest that Bennett may well be preparing Israel for a dramatic switch in direction which could surprise many observers. If the Prime Minister were to take some historic steps, he will have big shoulders from within Israel’s right-wing parties on which to stand.
There are two facts which are visible to all observers as to the nature of this new Government. First, while Naphtali Bennett is the Prime Minister, unlike his predecessor Binyamin Netanyahu, he has no need to be the only player in the room and the only decision-maker. Policies are being developed but it is not all about Bennett having a need for groupthink or ego re-enforcement. Clearly, over the past months actions taken by Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid were not unilateral acts taken by maverick ministers. While these ministers and others have carried the ball, it should be understood that these decisions were made by the Bennett Government in which the Prime Minister is prima inter pares. No foreign policy decisions were made without the acquiescence of the Prime Minister. Gantz did not meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas without Bennett’s approval; meanwhile Bennett gave himself political wiggle room by asserting he would not meet with Abbas.
Gantz has also held extensive, significant talks with the Government of Morocco and has been engaged with the leaders of Bahrain and the U.A.E. While Bennett himself went to meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, it was Foreign Minister Yair Lapid who has held extensive conversations with the leaders in London, Paris, and Berlin. While Israel’s hardline position on the renewal of the talks in Vienna with Iran on reactivating the JCPOA have emanated from Jerusalem, it has been the Foreign Minister who has been travelling around selling Israel’s position in Europe.
This very traditional division of labor by the Prime Minister serves two purposes. Bennett demonstrates to his domestic audiences that, unlike his predecessor, he is able to comfortably delegate responsibility to other Ministers. He is confident that he can lead the coalition and his Ministers will follow a united set of coalition positions. Bennett also has the self-confidence that he does feel a need to always be in the limelight.
Bennett announced the expansion of Israeli settlements and incurred the wrath of the United States and the international community, but after testing the U.S., he tempered their anger by packaging it with a grant for additional Palestinian housing. When he finally rescinded the expansion decision—at least for the moment—Bennett demonstrated to his right-wing supporters that he is still championing their cause even if he responded to U.S. pressure and deferred construction at this time. If Bennett can now also find a way to walk away with a compromise on where to place the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem, he will have successfully demonstrated remarkable political skill.
Prime Minister Bennett has another very important political card which he plays all the time. Bennett is the head of a party which has a total of only six seats in the Parliament. In order to secure support from many of the diverse coalition members during the successful budget debates, Bennett demonstrated an ability to navigate the tenuous nature of their mandate. The right-wing Prime Minister is constrained by the leverage of the other coalition members. This curious amalgam of parties also gives Bennett an ability to lead in ways that a stricter, more narrow coalition would not have permitted him to do. Once again this leads to some very interesting speculations as to what additional moves Bennett may be considering.
Bennett is governing at a moment where potentially he can follow the dramatic decisions made by previous right-wing politicians. It was in 1977 that Israel’s first right-wing Prime Minister Menachem Begin invited President Anwar Sadat to Jerusalem, set in motion the Camp David Accords, and made peace with Egypt. In 2005, one of Israel’s leading political hawks for generations, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon decided to withdraw Israeli settlements from Gaza, sent in the military to remove those who refused to leave, and set forth on a journey to change history which his stroke denied him. Both of these dramatic events were accomplished under the leadership of hardline Governments. These were surprise diplomatic and strategic military moves which all the previous and subsequent Labor Governments never achieved.
All the current maneuvers by the young Bennett Government could well be a prelude for a dramatic move by Bennett in dealing with the Palestinians. Once again it might be a right-wing Israeli leader who can reset Israel’s policy with the Palestinians. Talks already have been held with Jordan, and the Jordanian military joined in multi-lateral exercises with the Gulf States and Israel. There may already be on-going discussions as to how to engage Jordan with Israel in trying to create constructive moves on the Palestinian issue. What is clear is that Naphtali Bennett is interested in making progress.
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