The Israel that Joe Biden knew disappears and a new Israel emerges. (Photo: REUTERS)
Israel and the US are friends. But today, one of the parties in this friendship – Israel – is changing the fundamental nature of its state.
If I could put a memo about the new Israeli government on President Biden’s desk, I know exactly how it should begin:
«Dear Mr. President, I don’t know if you are interested in Jewish history, but Jewish history is definitely interested in you today. Israel is on the cusp of a historic transformation – from a full-fledged democracy to something less, and from a stabilizing force in the region to a destabilizing one. Perhaps only you can stop Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his extremist coalition from turning Israel into an illiberal bastion of bigotry.”
I would also tell Biden that I fear Israel is heading towards serious internal civil strife. Civil conflicts are rarely associated with one policy. As a rule, they are associated with power. For years, the bitter controversy in Israel over the Oslo Accords has been about politics. But today, in this simmering clash, it’s about power – who can tell who how to live in a very diverse society.
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