Interview guest David Rubin, former mayor of Shiloh, Israel
Political currents in Israel shift very quickly. Gidon Sa’ar, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s chief rival in his Likud party, has just split and formed a new party, called New Hope, which is already soaring to #2 in the polls and threatening Netanyahu’s long-time rule. The lack of trust between the two is increasingly speculation about Sa’ar’s stated intention to topple Netanyahu.
The recent three elections have led to deadlock between the Right and Left blocs, but now the Likud, New Hope and Yamina – all right of center parties, appear to be leading the pack. Would they join together in a governing coalition, perhaps under Netanyahu, or is the personal animosity and his opponents too great to overcome? With his corruption trial rapidly approaching, Netanyahu is desperate to ensure his own political survival as the political sands are shifting rightward, but also against him personally. Will he succeed in staying in power?
Here to explain is David Rubin, the former mayor of Shiloh in Israel, and the author of “Trump and the Jews”.
Q&A:
- Why is Israel having another election while the current coalition has lasted for less than a year? Israel is a rather unwieldly parliamentary democracy in which a majority of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, is needed to form a governing coalition. After the last election, Prime Minister Netanyahu of the Likud party formed a coalition with Benny Gantz of the left-of-center Blue and White party. It has been a disaster. The only policy Netanyahu and Gantz have agreed on has been lengthy Covid lockdowns, which have been extremely unpopular.
- Who is Gidon Sa’ar and why is he such a threat to Netanyahu? Sa’ar was Netanyahu’s #2 in Likud, until Netanyahu saw him as a potential threat to his leadership. Netanyahu has never groomed an eventual successor since he sees every potential successor as an immediate threat to his leadership. When Sa’ar decided to challenge Netanyahu last year in the primaries, he lost badly, but even so, Netanyahu has been fuming ever since and has done everything possible to make Sa’ar feel unwanted in the party.
- Where does the more conservative Yamina party fit into this puzzle? Weren’t they soaring in the polls just two weeks ago? That was before Sa’ar formed his new party. Now the disgruntled right that is dissatisfied with Netanyahu has options. According to the latest polls, Yamina is now in third or fourth place among the approximately ten parties that have a realistic chance of entering the Knesset (Parliament).
- What are the likely results that we can anticipate in this election? If Netanyahu wins again, he may extend an olive branch to Sa’ar and to Yamina’s leader Naftali Bennett, with whom he also has a bad relationship. If he does so, Israel may have a chance of having a true right-of center governing coalition, for the first time in years. The other possibility is that Sa’ar and Bennett, because of their past difficulties working together with Netanyahu, they could form an informal alliance and try to form a coalition without Netanyahu. It could go either way, depending on the relative electoral strengths of the parties after the election.
- You wrote the book, “Trump and The Jews”, which examines the complexities in the US-Israel relationship. How would that relationship be affected if Netanyahu loses? It will not be affected one iota, whether Netanyahu is in power, or if it’s someone else. Sa’ar and Bennett are solid and seasoned leaders who can both handle the relationship just fine. The real challenge will be keeping the relationship strong if Biden and Harris assume office. Trump and Pence have been great friends of Israel, but if Biden and Harris take over, Israelis will be very concerned.
- Where can people get a copy? They can get a copy at www.DavidRubinIsrael.com or go to Amazon and type in the words, “Trump and the Jews”.
About Mayor David Rubin:
David Rubin, former Mayor of Shiloh Israel, is the author of the book, “Trump and the Jews” and five other books.
Rubin is the founder and president of Shiloh Israel Children’s Fund, established after he and his then three-year-old son were wounded in a terror attack.
He can be found at www.DavidRubinIsrael.com or at http://www.ShilohIsraelChildren.org
CONTACT: Jerry McGlothlin 919-437-0001 jerry.specialguests@gmail.com
