A Vote of Confidence
It’s a new day in Israel.
On June 13, 2021 Israel’s parliament voted 60 to 59 to confirm the installation of the nation’s 36th government since 1948. At 60 votes the ruling coalition did not even meet the threshold for a simple majority in the 120-seat Knesset, but was sufficient for the vote to pass.
Israel’s parliamentary form of government requires a simple majority to stay in power. Anytime the Knesset is in session a “vote of no confidence” can be called. And if a majority of those present vote against the ruling government, national elections must be held and a new government formed.
Those familiar with the United States’ political structure recognize the functional reality of a two-party system.[1] Israeli politics are more complicated. From its founding as a modern state in 1948 Israel has had multiple parties vying for a piece of the political pie. Twelve parties won seats in the first Knesset.[2]
Some have called Israeli politics a “blood sport.” This is largely due to the fact that coalitions must be formed to reach a simple majority of 61 seats. When national elections were first held in 1949, David Ben-Gurion’s Labor Party won 46 seats. Agreements were made with other parties to convince them to form the ruling government.
Attracting support from otherwise competing parties requires high level “horse trading,” with the horses being ministerial portfolios. Plum assignments which each prime minister would love to give to members of his own party include Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Interior, Defense, Finance, etc. But each prime minister must decide which levers of power he is willing to share to draw people into his cabinet.
That Israel’s political structure has developed severe cracks is evidenced by the fact that four national elections have been held in the past two years. In the most recent election, Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu’s Likud Party won the most seats with 30 – fewer than half the minimum 61 needed to form a government. A consummate politician, even Mr. Netanyahu was unable to draw enough support from other parties to gain a simple majority within the 28 days allotted by law.
President Reuven Rivlin next turned to Yair Lapid, whose Yesh Atid Party came in second. Holding only 17 seats, the challenge of cobbling together a functional coalition among disparate (and strongly disagreeing) parties was daunting. With the 28-day clock nearly expiring before a fifth round of elections would have been necessary, Mr. Lapid announced he had succeeded in forming a coalition.
All this forms the background as to why Israel’s present government is a strange concoction of eight parties ranging across the right-to-left spectrum. In order to attract sufficient support, Yair Lapid had to give away significant pieces of the governmental pie – including handing over the first two years (of a possible four) of being prime minister to Naftali Bennett.[3] Currently “Alternate Prime Minister,” Mr. Lapid is slated to rotate into the top job from August 27, 2023 to November 2025.
Who would have predicted that a political party with a seven-seat mandate would hold Israel’s prime minister’s office? Or that for the first time in Israel’s history an Arab party (Raam, with four seats) would join the ruling coalition of an Israeli government? Or that for one of the few times in modern history, the ultra-Orthodox parties are in the opposition?[4]
Perhaps the fact that Shas (nine seats) and United Torah Judaism (seven seats) are outside the newly formed government may have the greatest impact on followers of Yeshua. Typically, the Ministry of Interior portfolio[5] has been in the hands of the ultra-Orthodox, giving them control over the matters of citizenship, immigration, visas, etc. This has enabled the Haredim to refuse citizenship (and in some cases, even entry into Israel) to Messianic Jews.
When one views how the new coalition is constructed and the continual jockeying for position that is part of political intrigue most everywhere, it is difficult to believe this governing coalition will be long-lived. Mr. Netanyahu has pledged to bring down the “illegitimate” new government at the earliest opportunity. Underestimating Bibi’s political savvy has been the downfall of many opponents over the decades.
We do well to recognize that Israel’s political intrigues take place in a very tough neighborhood. We are only weeks removed from the ceasefire in Gaza that followed eleven days of Israelis running for shelter from 4,000+ rocket attacks. The new government has continued to speak out against (and likely take action to thwart) Iranian attempts to develop nuclear weapons. And new relationships must be developed with world leaders, including the Biden administration in the United States.
Will the new Israeli government prove adept at providing security, enhancing the economy, and building infrastructure for its Arab villages as promised? Will followers of the Jewish Messiah in Israel be granted greater access to citizenship and tax exemption on their properties such as synagogues enjoy? Will the influence of the religious parties diminish in the coming years, or will being left out of the government spur greater efforts to counter the lifestyles and beliefs that run counter to rabbinic halachah?
It’s a new day in Israel. We don’t know what success Israel’s new government may enjoy, or how long before a “no confidence vote” will be brought to the Knesset floor.
Of this we are sure: our confidence needs to securely placed in the Lord. As the Psalmist says:
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
Than to trust in man.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
Than to trust in princes.[6]
Wes Taber, LIFE Global Ambassador
Where is your confidence today?
For what are you having to trust the Lord that is well beyond your control?
To what Scriptures do you turn to be reminded of God’s sovereign care for you?
Endnotes:
[1] It’s possible to form new parties or run as an independent in the US, but the power bases lie with the Democrats and Republicans.
[2] For comparison, 13 parties comprise the present Knesset; the previous one had 21.
[3] Mr. Benett’s Yamina party only garnered seven seats, yet he now holds the title of Prime Minister, which Bibi Netanyahu reluctantly relinquished after 12 consecutive years in the top leadership role.
[4] The mutual pact between Mr. Netanyahu’s Likud Party and the ultra-Orthodox Shas and UTJ parties did not dissolve amidst the flurry of horse-trading when Mr. Lapid was on the clock endeavoring to forge a coalition. And it should be noted that the political divide within Bibi’s previous government, in large measure due to conflicting demands of the religious and secular coalition members, helped weaken and topple the prior regime.
[5] The Interior Ministry portfolio has been given to Ayelet Shaked, a member of Mr. Bennett’s “religious right” Yamina Party. It remains to be seen how she will change the entrenched culture of the ministry.
[6] Psalm 118:-9.