New Israeli government, same old smoke and mirrors
Unless one seeks the truth, it is easy to fall for the hasbara-messaging such as ‘shrinking the conflict’ or ‘economic peace’ that Bennett keeps repeating.
ISRAEL’S NEW GOVERNMENT is in full swing, with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett at its head. Now that Bennett has made his maiden trip to the White House as prime minister, one can confidently, albeit regretfully, acknowledge that nothing has really changed except the personalities.
In Middle East politics, personalities are a sideshow. They can change frequently or remain in place for decades, and their global legitimacy standing will be the exact same. Being viewed as legitimate should not be confused with having popular legitimacy that allows one to lead.
For very different reasons, Israeli and Palestinian leaders face this same dilemma; they are viewed as legitimate from abroad but fall short of minimum popular legitimacy at home to move the needle on any substantial issue, let alone the stubbornest needle of all, that of the Israeli military occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.
Bennett allowing himself to come to power on the back of the United Arab List…
