Ira Sharkansky

The country proceeds, also more or less well. Lots of arguments and demonstrations. Major hospitals were on a Sabbath schedule, turning away some patients, claiming that the Finance Ministry hadn’t come through with the money promised. Now that seems to have been solved, with yet another promise from the Finance Ministry. And we’re waiting on the passage of a national budget. We’ve not had one for some three years, and this government will expire if one is not passed in a month or so. With a Knesset majority of one vote, it is dependent on full cooperation. That empowers each Knesset Member to have considerable leverage, to get what he/she wants, or to vote no, abstain, or be conveniently absent from the voting. So far, the Knesset has passed a budget with one vote. Now it’s waiting for two more votes. [Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D]

As ever, the future is uncertain. However, as far as we can see, there seems no chance for a two state solution on our borders. But we can’t see too far into the future. The President of Palestine, West Bank, Mahmoud Abbas, is 85 years old. What comes next, with a civil war or not, is anyone’s guess. [Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D.]

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — The cases of coronavirus continue to spike in Israel. By some professional predictions, we might reach 12,000 new cases sometime next week. However, the incidence of seriously ill, hospitalized, and deaths may have peaked, and begun a downturn. Presumably due to the increasing incidence of people getting their booster shot.

An Arab Knesset Member, affiliated with Meretz, announced that neither Meretz nor the Arab party Ram, would support the government if it attacked Lebanon. Some days earlier, there was a rocket attack on northern Israel, attributed to a Palestinian group in Lebanon. Apparently, there was no significant damage. Earlier there had been an interchange, with Israeli aircraft bombing Lebanese sites in response to rocket attacks. But there was no Israeli response to the latest attack from Lebanon. [Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D]

It’s a Jewish country, but:– About 21 percent of the population is Arab. Now, 70 plus years after Independence, the Arabs of Israel are well integrated, but:–
A high incidence of the crime is Arab. And most of that is Arab against Arab. [Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D]

– There are a lot of questions in the air, along with hopes of some stability in both politics and health. It’s not easy to summarize, but here we go: Most of our news is about the upturn in revealed cases of COVID-19. We’re at several hundred per day, but with few hospitalizations and deaths. There’s some cases of infection among those who’ve received two inoculations, but most of those are not serious. Most infections seem to have begun with people arriving from overseas, infecting kids in schools, and then onward. [Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D]

Some instances from the beginning of Israel’s new government: Likud has picked on a law of family reunification in order to embarrass, and perhaps defeat the Bennett-Lapid government. It’s a law that prevents Palestinians, who marry Israeli Arabs, to acquire citizenship in Israel. It’s been on the books since 2003, but has effect only for a year. Thus, it has to be renewed annually. It is something widely supported by predominantly Jewish political parties. But its current renewal has been opposed by Likud. [Ira Sharkansky, PhD]

It ain’t gonna be easy. With a political divide of 60 against 59, it’s bound to be tough. If not impossible to legislate anything of significance. We’ll see if the new government can pass a budget, needing 61 to vote in favor. [Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D]

There’s a new government, but . . . As we got closer to the Knesset decision on a new government, the tone of Bibi and his supporters became ever more aggressive. And disturbing. Commentators compared it to the actions of Donald Trump. Trump didn’t attend the ceremonial signing in of the Biden administration. Will Bibi avoid the start of the new government? [Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D]

A half hour before the end of his mandate, Yair Lapid announced to the President the formation of a government.

It’s something of a mess. Eight or nine parties, or portions of parties. Still some issues having to be sorted out. And Bibi is not going quietly, to be head of the opposition, accused of three crimes, and in a trial that may last for years, or until there’s an agreement about a plea bargain. [Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D]

Yair Lapid has a few days left in his mandate. Possibilities exist, commentators bet against him a few days ago. Now not so sure.. Naftali Bennett has decided against Netanyahu, and Bibi has responded with a vicious attack. It isn’t done until it’s done, but now it looks like the end of Bibi. [Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D]