In Israel's recent election, the incumbent center-left coalition got only 20,000 or so fewer votes than the right-wing coalition of parties led by Bibi Netanyahu. But thanks to quirks in Israel's electoral system, skillfully (and legally) manipulated by Netanyahu, the right won a clear parliamentary majority. This majority, however, depends on a real rogues' gallery of religious fanatics, both nationalist and insular, racist uber-nationalists, and general nutjobs. Past Likud party leaders, including Bibi himself, would previously have either refused to deal with such people (recall that Menachem Begin put Meir Kahane in adminsitrative detention), or shunted them off to relatively inconsequential ministries.
But as Aaron David Miller and Daniel Kurtzer report:
Having brought to life the radical, racist, misogynistic and homophobic far-right parties, Netanyahu is now stuck with them. He has cut a deal with convicted inciter of hatred and violence Itamar Ben Gvir and made him minister of national security, with far-reaching authority for the West Bank, Jerusalem and mixed Arab-Jewish cities in Israel proper. Bezalel Smotrich, who has called for the expulsion of Arabs, is in line to run the finance ministry, with additional authority over the Civil Administration, which governs the West Bank. And Avi Maoz, who proudly espouses a fierce anti-LGBTQ agenda, has been made a deputy in the prime minister's office in charge of "Jewish identity."
