Clashes in Jerusalem shake government coalition

The jerusalem instability catches the government Israel. More than a week of clashes on the Esplanade of the Mosques during the month of Ramadan have led the Arab party Ram, that supports the Executive, to suspend its participation in the coalition. The leader of the settlers and current prime minister, Naftali Bennett, has been balancing for weeks to guarantee the continuity of his cabinet. With dozens of Palestinians arrested and hundreds injured, the tension that has been populating the streets of the Holy City for days reaches the institutions and threatens to destroy them.

“If the Government continues with its measures against Al Quds [Jerusalén en árabe] and its people, against Al Aqsa, its worshipers and its shrines in this holy month, we will submit a collective resignation and call on all parties to cooperate and support this decision,” party members wrote. United Arab List (Raam for its acronym in Hebrew) in a statement last week. These harsh statements deepen the wound opened at the beginning of the month when a deputy from Bennett’s formation left the coalition and made him lose your majority of 61 seats. The prime minister has until next May 9 to mend this break.

Many point out that the gesture of Mansour Abás, at the head of Raam, is hardly symbolic. With the announcement of his intentions, the Pressure of religious leaders on party members momentarily, as they still have two weeks to resolve the dispute until the Knesset reconvenes. In turn, the Israeli daily Ha’aretz has assured that this measure was coordinated with Bennett and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yair Lapid, to allow their representatives “let off steam” but preventing them from actually leaving the coalition. “Freezing your party membership is the acrobatic trick that [Abás] I was looking for: it’s a protest sign against a government it props up, devoid of any real threat to bring it down,” says feminist writer and activist, Samah Salainin +972 Magazine.

Although if Raam’s demands are not resolved in these 14 days, Israel could end up celebrating its fifth elections in three years. If they leave the coalition, Bennett would find himself with a 56-seat minority government in a Parliament with 120 seats. Without the majority, the Executive would be forced to reach agreements with the opposition parties every time it wanted to pass a law. This opposition, led by former president Benjamin Netanyahu, now has 53 seats between right-wing, Orthodox and far-right Jewish parties. It is very unlikely that Bibi manage to convince the Arab parties to join expressly racist formations.

But if a single member of the list leaves the alliance, Netanyahu has the numbers to call for a vote to dissolve Parliament and put the country back in the polls. is the first time in the history of Israel in which the fate of his Government is in the hands of an Arab and not a Jewish party. It was precisely the support of the Islamic party that made it easier for this heterogeneous Executive to start up now 10 months. Before joining the Government, Abbas already expressed his exclusive intention to improve the life of the 21% of Israel’s population who is of Palestinian origin and insisted on his red lines.

“I said and continue to say that the blessed Al Aqsa Mosque is a red line where there is no compromise,” Abbas wrote on Facebook last week. Following the launch of tear gas by an Israeli police drone during the third Friday of Ramadan, the clashes in this important compound have continued. This place is sacred for both Muslims and Jews and, for this reason, during these days that the festivities of both religions have coincided, it has become the focus of tensions. The wounded accumulate by the dozens and the fear of further escalation is latent.

Why would anyone fire tear gas at peaceful worshippers! #SaveAlAqsa pic.twitter.com/UxwQBmKCW2

— Muhammad Smiry 🇵🇸 (@MuhammadSmiry) April 22, 2022

With just a week to go until the end of the Muslim holy month, tensions are rising along the Gaza border. The exchange of rockets and shelling in this area has been repeated. For its part, Israel has announced that It’s getting prepared for a possible flare-up with the Strip as Israeli residents of the border region demand a tougher hand. Hamas continues to encourage the uprising of the palestinian people. In the institutions, the message is clear: as long as the attacks on the Esplanade of the Mosques continue to accumulate, which Raam sees as a provocation, the fragile knots that united them to the coalition will be undone. The next few weeks and even days will be key.