Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but

Jewish World Review ^ | 5/17/2012 | Joshua Mitnick

[Former Fetus]

When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joined forces last week with the centrist Kadima party to form one of Israel's largest-ever coalition governments, it appeared to give him maneuvering room to pursue Palestinian peace talks over the objections of his hardline political base.

But twin efforts by coalition lawmakers last weekend to strengthen the legal status of Jewish settlements suggest that the political fulcrum of Mr. Netanyahu's government in fact may not have shifted all that dramatically away from stalwarts in his Likud party who oppose ceding land to the Palestinians on both ideological and theological grounds.

"The prime minister doesn't intend to advance the peace process,'' argues Shlomo Molla, a member of parliament from the centrist Kadima party who said he has misgivings about the unity government and might lead a faction to bolt the coalition if it doesn't make progress with the Palestinians. "Ideologically, he won't be able to sign an agreement because he is ideologically linked to Judea and Samaria. The Likud is an extreme right-wing party, and when he signs, they will overthrow him.''

>>SNIP<<

"We have to look at the outposts very closely, as a weathervane," says a Jerusalem-based foreign diplomat who follows Israeli politics but declined to speak on record. "We can see the real Netanyahu now if he so wishes. He can go whichever way he wants. He has run out of excuses. He gets to describe himself at this point."

[Former Fetus]

To quote our good friend Eleutheria5: Bulldozers Roll in Oz Zion, Ramat Migron .

Pray that we are not seeing "the real Netanyahu".

[SunkenCiv]

Not leftist enough? Thanks Former Fetus.