Israeli Elections
Alternate Prime Minister Yair Lapid will become transitional prime minister from the time Knesset disbands until a new government is formed • Elections slated for October after High Holidays • Will be fifth election in less than four years.
“He promised an Australia where all its minorities, including Jews, are protected and said he will keep up the fight against anti-Semitism,” said Rabbi Shmueli Feldman, chair of Chabad Australian Capital Territory (Chabad ACT) in Canberra.
Transportation Minister Merav Michaeli’s opposition to Defense Minister Benny Gantz’s demand that pensions be raised for Israeli career soldiers has angered the latter’s close associates.
“The trauma and shock of that gloomy night have accompanied every argument and controversy we have known since. Something in the innocence of political life in Israel broke that night and was gone forever because since [then], we know this can happen,” said Knesset Speaker Mickey Levy.
Experts argue that Arabs are tired of slogans and looking for a change; their voters want to see a party that has influence and not just sits in the Knesset without achievements for the Arab sector.
A recent study showed that two-thirds of the Israeli public believes that the democratic system in Israel is in grave danger. Ironically, a similar proportion considers Israel a good place to live.
Shas Party leader urges MKs to support the measure to break Israel’s political stalemate • Yair Lapid calls to form “Israeli unity government.”
President Reuven Rivlin’s term is slated to end on July 9; under Israeli law, elections for his successor must be held 30 to 90 days before then.
Labor Party member of Knesset Ibtisam Mara’ana, whose candidacy sparked public ire over her past anti-Zionist statements, won for an episode of a show she created that focuses on stigma-ridden societal sectors.
Knesset speaker disqualifies Joint Arab List MKs’ oaths of office due to altered wording after each lawmaker vows: “I pledge to fight the [Israeli] occupation, racism and apartheid.”
Consultations with all Knesset factions indicate that no candidate has a “realistic chance” of assembling a coalition, says Reuven Rivlin.
It calls for a national directorate to counter foreign influence and the amendment of a government resolution on women’s rights • Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid: “No sane prime minister could allow such a thing.”
