As we close out 2021 there are two key areas that continue to be at the centre of Israel’s diplomatic and internal political challenges, as well as a third emerging issue of quite a different colour. 1 – Iran There is no doubt that the vast majority of security and …

All opinion polls show that Likud voters, by very large margins, prefer to keep Netanyahu as leader and stay in opposition, rather than go back into government, but with someone else in the top position. This catch 22 results in Netanyahu continuing to be both the factor that keeps the …

Prime Minister Bennett has now been in office for three months and the sky has not fallen. In fact what is remarkable is that in the macro, regarding many of the continuing challenges, the modalities for dealing with them also remain plus/minus the same. Other than in tone. Almost, but …

The Israeli government coalition of eight parties, where not only can any one party bring the government down, but even a disaffected individual MK is able to do so, has survived its first two months. The glue holding it together in one very real way is Benjamin Netanyahu – who …

The Israeli government was formally approved on June the 13th which means that we are currently witnessing its fourth week of existence. This coalition of 8 different parties with a wide variety of ideologies has already had to weather numerous challenges.  With only having been brought in by a vote …

Tragically for Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister and who will undoubtedly be remembered for many very significant achievements – including his statesmanlike behaviour on the international stage – his political demise has turned into a Greek tragedy. It may be too soon to write Netanyahu’s political obituary – but there …

Whilst this is being written before final election results are known there are a few things we can say. And before we come to that, for all of the justified frustration with the current election process in Israel, all forms of democracy have shortcomings. Netanyahu began his second term as …

Predicting the end of Benjamin Netanyahu’s tenure as Prime Minister of Israel is like predicting the coming of rain during a drought. You know it has to come sometime, but the question is when? Never the less, it feels as if the rain is nearer now, but still maybe a …

President Rivlin and Prime Minister Netanyahu have both spoken with President elect Joe Biden and for the first time have referred to him with that descriptor. That in and of itself is significant as President Trump has not yet ceded the election and there are still two months remaining of …

Direct Etihad passenger flights to Israel; the formation of Kosher Arabia which will apparently make it easier to get kosher food in Abu Dhabi and Dubai than in Sydney or Melbourne; a public sukkah in front of the world famous Burj Khalifa Tower; and normalisation with Sudan around the corner. …

It’s quite amazing how the State of Israel at this moment in time, has become a mirror image of the two sides of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s operating styles. Internally, whilst the raison d’etre for the formation of this coalition government was to fight Covid 19, it has descended into a …

Once again, and as has been the case for some time now, there are only two central players in Israel’s political arena – Bibi, the flawed human being and Prime Minister Netanyahu, the statesman. Bibi against whom the discontent of the demonstrators and beyond, manifests itself throughout daily life in …

In Israel we currently see two worlds clashing. Perhaps more accurately, running parallel, as if the other did not exist. That is, the real world and the world of the internal machinations of the Israeli government and Knesset politics. In the real world, Israel, initially an international leader and example …

It would be hard to find two more contrasting leadership styles than those of Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defence Minister/Prime Minister in waiting, Benny Gantz. One highly visible almost 24/7 and the other, unseen and publicly at least, almost silent. And at the same time, two people whose political fortunes, …

We stand just weeks after celebrating that the Balfour Declaration of 1917 moved from a statement of British intent, to the legal process of affirmation of the Jewish Homeland at the San Remo Conference in April 1920 – and its then formal ratification by the League of Nations. This is …

Well, if nothing changes between now and Wednesday, we will finally see an actual Israeli government being sworn in. The main potential crinkle it would appear, is an internal Likud bun fight over the reduced number of cabinet portfolios left to divide, after the achievements of Benny Gantz. Gantz took …

When people discussed the need for Israel to finally form some sort of unity government after three election attempts in order to deal with real matters of government, almost no-one imagined that as Bill Gates had predicted already in 2015 – the next danger facing mankind would not be something …

Election number three. What was different? Exit polls, having twice underestimated Prime Minister Netanyahu and his block’s number of Knesset seats in April 2019 and September 2019, now overestimated them. Only by a small number. But a very critical one. Despite predictions of voter fatigue – turnout has steadily increased …

Some observations: – There has been a consistent pattern to the “peace process” for 100 years from when the Palestine Arab Executive Committee met in 1921 and declared – “Either us or the Zionists.  There is no room for both” Some form of partition is proposed, the Jewish people go with …

Devastating drought and bush fires in Australia and extreme flooding in Israel. On the political level regarding satisfaction/action assessments by the electorate, much centres on image and perception. Just ask Prime Minister Scott Morrison for one. We are fast approaching the third act of the continuing Israeli election process in …