Alex Miller
Liberman Shuffle Leaves Bibi with No Knesset Edge
In a scarcely noticed series of political maneuvers, Bibi Netanyahu’s Likud party lost its primacy as the largest party in the Knesset last Wednesday. It’s now equal in size to Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party at 19 seats each. Moreover, don’t be surprised if the prime minister finds himself dropping to 18 in the fall. I don’t know how, but I’ll bet Avigdor Liberman does.
Next for Knesset: Bill To Probe 'Leftist' NGOs
Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu party, flush from its victory in the boycott law debate, plans to bring another gag-rule bill to the Knesset floor for final vote next week, Ynet reports. The bill would create a Knesset investigative committee to examine the funding of “leftist” NGOs that “delegitimize” the Israeli army. Members of the Likud are trying to convince the party to hold off to let the passions over the boycott law cool down, but so far Yisrael Beiteinu is adamant, Ynet reports.
The Polarizing Effect of the Proposed 'Nakba Law'
So everyone is talking about the two-state solution. Whether you’re on the Israeli side or the Palestinian side, accepting it appears to be the very benchmark of moderation. Apparently that’s not quite how Fatah member Abbas Zaki, Palestinian Ambassador to Lebanon, sees it. “With the two-state solution, in my opinion, Israel will collapse,” he says in this television interview.