JERUSALEM - Israel's new unity government may strengthen theposition of Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of a possible attack on Iran,analysts say, despite the fact the move was motivated by internalpolitical issues. The prime minister shocked the political establishment early onTuesday with the unexpected announcement that his right-wing Likudparty had agreed a deal with Shaul Mofaz, leader of the oppositionKadima faction, to form a government of national unity, scotchingplans for an early election. The deal puts Netanyahu at the head of one of Israel's largest-everruling coalitions, with an overwhelming 94 votes in the 120-seatparliament. This dramatic turn of events emerged largely as a result of thegrowing political difficulties Netanyahu faces within the rulingLikud.
Faced with a revolt by the hardline fringe, Netanyahu opted for apolitical realignment rather than face off with the settler lobby,which has become increasingly disenchanted with his zigzags oversettlement issues. "This move spells trouble for the Jewish communities in Judaea andSamaria (West Bank) and further moves us away from the traditionalvalues of the Likud upon which we were elected," complained Likud'sparliamentary deputy speaker Danny Danon, one of the hardliners. Several hours before the news of the deal broke, Israel's SupremeCourt had ordered the government to stop prevaricating over itscommitment to demolish the Ulpana settler outpost, and raze fivestructures there by July 1. The order sent shockwaves through the settler community and placedNetanyahu in a bind: should he comply with the ruling and incur thewrath of Likud hardliners, or should he seek once again seek a wayof avoiding the demolition.
"Both Bibi (Netanyahu) and Mofaz are in a difficult position, andthe new government is a good solution for both of them," said MarkHeller, a political analyst at Tel Aviv University's Institute forNational Security Studies. "Bibi has a lot of trouble not so much with his coalition butwithin his own party. He needs to contain the hard right-wing ofthe Likud, especially on the settlement issue," he told AFP. Mofaz was also struggling. He took over as head of Kadima, the largest faction in parliament,just six weeks ago and found himself at the helm of a party infreefall.
Repeated polls predicted it would be trounced in anyelection, seeing its 28 mandates reduced to around 10. "Mofaz would rather enter the government with Kadima's 28 seats nowthan wait for the next elections and become a junior partner in acoalition with only 10 or 11 seats," he said. Israelis on Wednesday appeared to be divided over Netanyahu'sdecision to join up with Kadima, with a survey by the Maarivnewspaper showing that 30.7 per cent were in favour, 29.9 per centwere against and 31 per cent had no opinion. Another poll in Israel HaYom newspaper found 39.6 per cent backedthe move and 31.9 per cent opposed it, with 28.4 per cent unsure,and a survey by Channel 10 television found 44 per cent in favour,37 per cent opposed and 19 per cent expressing no opinion. Haaretz newspaper published its own survey in which it found only23 per cent believed the deal was motivated by the nationalinterest, compared with 63 per cent who said the deal was driven bypersonal and political reasons.
But analysts said they saw the possibility of a military strike onIran's nuclear facilities as a factor playing into Netanyahu'sdecision to cobble together what will be Israel's seventh nationalunity government. Shmuel Sandler, professor of political science at Bar-IlanUniversity, said Israel's options vis-a-vis Iran's contestednuclear programme had definitely played a role in Netanyahu'sthinking. "Netanyahu is very nervous about Iran. The Iranian issue does playa role in the formation of this new government, even if it's notthe only reason for the decision," he told AFP.
"An Israeli attack will be easier with such a big unity government,but I don't think that the decision has been taken yet. It willdepend on the efficiency of the sanctions and the result of theAmerican elections." Netanyahu has made the fight to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclearweapons his top priority and has openly questioned theeffectiveness of the tough regime of international sanctionsimposed on the Islamic Republic. For Haaretz commentator Ari Shavit, Netanyahu's move to bring Mofazinto his government has one clear aim. "Its real goal is Iran," he wrote.
"It creates a firm political foundation on which to conduct thestrategic sparring with (Iranian supreme leader) Ayatollah AliKhamenei. The national unity government provides domestic andinternational legitimacy to the anticipated confrontation. "Instead of pre-Iran elections, we get pre-Iran unity, which doesthe same thing. Instead of a two-month window of opportunity:Sept-Oct 2012, we get a four-month one: July-October 2012.". I am a professional writer from Industrial Fuel, which contains a great deal of information about usb bluetooth adapters , bushnell digital binoculars, welcome to visit!
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