Wednesday saw Israeli media report that, barring any last-minute changes, the interim law seeking to prevent illegal migrants' infiltration into Israel is set to elapse this week, despite Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked's plan to seek a vote to extend it.
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This happened contrary to Shaked's own confrontational declarations on the subject only recently, and her daring of the Meretz party to violate coalition discipline by voting against the amendment. Her harsh tones were in vein because she never even presented the bill for a vote. Why? Because Meretz informed Shaked she was to do no such thing. Why? Because they can.
Until a few weeks ago, such a news report – signaling another nail in the coffin of the future Jewish majority in Israel - would have set Israeli social media on fire, especially with respect to the Right, and would have undoubtedly led to hurried statements and "closed-doors" briefings by Shaked and her party, Yamina.
This report, however, barely made a splash, simply because no one has any expectations from Yamina anymore. Between the infiltration law, suspending the Atarot construction plan in east Jerusalem, a near-formal quitclaim of the Negev area, the tacit consent for Palestinian construction that all but sets facts on the ground, and the open dependency in the Islamist Ra'am party – the simple reality is that Yamina has been stripped of any ideals of values.
In other words: where there are no expectations, there is no disappointment, and Yamina MKs have no expectations from the party, either.
Party members have come to understand that, were elections held at this time, Yamina would fail to pass the four-seat electoral threshold. Internal polls are being shredded so that they never see the light of day, faction briefings are becoming angrier, there is no political or campaign work to speak of on the ground – and all this is happening with Yamina in power and while its leader is coddled by all until such time that the power-sharing deal with Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid kicks in.
Politically speaking, Yamina is the walking dead. A faded, toothless faction that is devoid of any true political clout. This is why the heads of Ra'am and Meretz can simply inform Shaked and other party officials what they can – and especially cannot do.
What does the future hold for Yamina? Two options seem the most likely.
First, as the rotation draws near, Yamina is likely to make a play for right-wing voters. Facing the threat of political oblivion the party will undoubtedly flex its muscles, breach coalition discipline here and there, and mostly rely on right-wing voters' short-term memory.
The second, more logical option, is that Yamina lawmakers will scatter. Bennett and New Hope leader Gideon Sa'ar are already said to be exploring some sort of union with Yesh Atid – as is evident by some of their statements.
Other Yamina MKs, including Coalition Leader Idit Silman, are also seeking ways to join Yesh Atid.
The only one who seems likely to miss the train in Shaked, who failed to align herself with Amichai Chikli, Yamina's own rebel with a cause, and therefore is no longer the Right's "princess."
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