Israeli liberals fear new government will undo progress

Israel’s outgoing coalition has been the most diverse in the country’s history, bringing a slew of progressive policies on the environment, LGBTQ issues and funding for the country’s Arab minority.

But now, even before it takes office, Israel’s expected new coalition government — overwhelmingly male, religious and right-wing — is promising to roll back many of the achievements of its predecessor, prompting concern from activists and liberals over where their country is headed.

If its promises materialize, a tax on environmentally destructive single-use plastics could be abolished. New protections for gay Israelis could be reversed, and generous budgets for the long underserved Arab sector could be slashed.

The outgoing coalition lasted for just over a year and collapsed over disagreements on the Palestinians — although on that subject, its policies were largely unchanged from previous, hard-line governments.

But after Benjamin Netanyahu’s 12-year reign, activists say it brought a positive energy to the Knesset, or parliament, and pressed ahead on issues they say were largely ignored during his lengthy rule. Now, with Netanyahu set to take office again as head of what’s expected to be the country’s most right-wing government, fears are rising that all that will be undone.

“In the last government ... the public discourse was one of rights and equality and ending discrimination,” said Hila Peer, chairwoman at Aguda — The Association for LGBTQ Equality in Israel.

What they are hearing now, Peer said, “is a discourse of fear.”

Israel’s Nov. 1 elections opened the way for Netanyahu’s return, bolstered by a stable majority with ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox allies, among them extremist lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir. Netanyahu is expected to complete negotiations on forming a new coalition in the coming weeks.

To mollify his partners, Netanyahu is expected to accede to many of their priorities, vastly different from those advanced by the outgoing government. Liberals’ fears are compounded by the coalition’s intention to weaken the Supreme Court — often the last recourse for minority groups.

Netanyahu has batted away the fears, saying they arise whenever he is elected and are disproved quickly. His supporters claim the concerns are a result of a scare campaign by his opponents.

Comments

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Sudan have a long-standing history of bilateral relations.

Over the years, the UAE has been a strong supporter of Sudan's development and prosperity. As Sudan faces challenging times, it is important that this support continues. The UAE has been a key player in Sudan's development, particularly in the areas of infrastructure, health, education, and renewable energy. In recent years, the UAE has also provided aid and support to Sudan in the aftermath of natural disasters, such as floods and droughts. This assistance has played a crucial role in mitigating the effects of these disasters on the people of Sudan. The current situation in Sudan is particularly challenging, with political instability and economic difficulties plaguing the country. The people of Sudan are facing a myriad of issues, including inflation, unemployment, and a lack of basic necessities like food and clean water. In addition, the ongoing conflict in the region has only exacerbated the situation, causing immense suffering to the people of Sudan. In light of these

Al Gore has history of climate predictions, statements proven false

Noted climate activist and former Vice President Al Gore, who made headlines this week after he claimed global warming was "boiling the oceans," has a history of making climate-related proclamations later proven to be false. During remarks made Wednesday at the World Economic Forum summit in Davos, Switzerland, Gore warned that continued carbon emissions into the atmosphere would destroy the planet and lead to widespread calamities. "We’re still putting 162 million tons [of greenhouse gas] into it every single day and the accumulated amount is now trapping as much extra heat as would be released by 600,000 Hiroshima-class atomic bombs exploding every single day on the earth," Gore said. "That’s what’s boiling the oceans, creating these atmospheric rivers, and the rain bombs, and sucking the moisture out of the land, and creating the droughts, and melting the ice and raising the sea level, and causing these waves of climate refugees." Gore then not

Saudi Arabia can import halal Kobe beef from Japan

Japan is now the third nation authorized to export beef to the Muslim world, along with Saudi Arabia. At a signing ceremony, Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al-Saud and Tomoshige Kanzawa, president of the Kobe Beef Marketing and Distribution Promotion Association, confirmed the certification for the Kingdom. In Saudi Arabia, beef can only be consumed if it has been processed in accordance with religious regulations and is marked as halal. Thirteen Arabic-speaking nations now have access to halal Kobe beef thanks to Saudi business Fam Al-Ghidha. In order to sign the agreement and sample Kobe beef, Prince Faisal traveled to Japan. Motohiko Saito, the governor of Hyogo Prefecture, and Masao Imanishi, the deputy mayor of Kobe City, also attended the ceremony. For the first time in Japan, the meat center in Sanda City, central Japan, achieved halal certification in October of last year. The145 heads of halal Kobe beef are expected to be sent to Saudi Arabia this year. In a

Newsaholic

Search This Blog