The Knesset vote on applying sovereignty to Judea and Samaria, which was designed to embarrass members of the coalition, managed to put on full display their opposition to the move. But we must also look at the pressure waged by some on the anti-Israeli Left on senior coalition members.
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Who would have thought that Meretz MK Yair Golan would withdraw his signature from a letter that condemned the Ben & Jerry's boycott over Judea and Samaria. Golan claimed that only after affixing his signature was he made aware that Jewish settlements there are not part of the State of Israel. So what if those settlements are currently not considered within Israeli borders. As far as sovereignty is concerned, Israel is the sovereign power in Judea and Samaria and has every right to exercise its sovereignty. The Ben & Jerry's boycott is an antisemitic move because it targets Jewish communities. In that sense, it's worse than a boycott of Israel.
But fellow Meretz faction member MK Mossi Raz's pressure on Golan dovetails with the campaign led by anti-IDF movement Breaking the Silence, in which it has warned Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Public Security Minister Omer Bar-Lev that "violence by settlers should NOT happen under your watch." Using building wraps, they put on this slogan with quotes from the two ministers. The wrap was taken down after people realized that it was on a government building.
When you combine the ice cream boycott, Raz and the Breaking the Silence campaign, it becomes clear that the radical anti-Israel Left has been setting the tone and has adopted an arrogant approach that wants to dictate to ministers how to act. So in this climate, how can a deputy minister oppose a boycott on Jewish settlements?
Legislation that would apply sovereignty in Judea and Samaria won't solve the government's travails. The religious Zionists in this government are helpless and even sit idly by, while the Left continues to push its agenda. Bennett has yet to provide a good rationale for why he formed this government, and the damage is getting worse.
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