In a letter to Prime Minister-elect Benjamin Netanyahu, 105 retired diplomats claimed that the consequences of radical action on Israel’s foreign relations would be dire.
“We fear that recent developments at the national level will provoke a harsh international reaction and damage strategic relations with the United States and Europe,” stresses the letter, excerpts of which were published by the electronic newspaper Arutz Sheva.
We are also very concerned about the deterioration in relations between Israel and the scattered Jewish communities around the world, they said.
The return to power of Netanyahu, who has ruled this nation for 15 years, and his far-right allies are raising concerns in the Middle East and across much of Israeli society.
Netanyahu is seen as a hawk and counts openly racist and anti-Arab politicians like Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich among his allies.
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz yesterday warned of an escalation of violence in the Palestinian territories ahead of that government’s imminent takeover.
During an interview with Channel 12, the official, who will vacate his position in the next few hours, urged the army and Israeli security forces to prepare for a major confrontation.
For her part, former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said days ago that the new executive would destroy democracy in the country.
Exactly, a survey by Geocartografia published the day before revealed that 60 percent of the population agrees with Livni.
The Jerusalem Post announced this month that more than 330 US rabbis will boycott Netanyahu and his allies.
In an open letter, the signatories said they would not invite members of the far-right bloc to “speak in our communities and organizations.”
The uncompromising tone of the letter and the breadth of the signers are a sign of a crisis in relations between Israel and the American Jewish community, sparked by the extremists’ rise to power, the newspaper warned.
Meanwhile, the national press almost daily reveals the far-right coalition’s secret deals, which include plans to step up annexation of the West Bank and a bill that would allow Parliament to overturn Supreme Court decisions.
Three days ago, the Jerusalem Post noted that Netanyahu supports repealing a law banning racists from being part of the legislature, following a proposal by the Jewish Power Party led by Ben Gvir.
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