Herb Keinon

Netanyahu’s controversial legislative push risks voter backlash, but could strengthen his ties with the parties he may need to form his next government.

Whether either side actually intends to force a constitutional showdown, or whether both ultimately expect this dispute to be resolved before the country reaches that point, remains an open question.

Both men are defining Israeli politics not through the traditional categories of Left and Right, but through questions of national responsibility, military service, governance, and consensus.

POLITICAL AFFAIRS: PM Netanyahu’s emerging campaign is built around a simple proposition: The political boycott against him is losing its rationale, and a broader coalition is again possible.

DIPLOMATIC AFFAIRS: A startup’s relationship with Google and North Korea’s path to the nuclear bomb offers unexpected insights into this week’s 12-hour war with Iran.

Those who see Torah study as essential should acknowledge the unique burden borne by those who leave their lives behind to defend the country, and that yeshiva study is not a comparable sacrifice.

Had Netanyahu bowed to Trump's request on Sunday and refrained from responding after Iran fired 11 ballistic missiles, Israel would have signalled weakness and constraint.

DIPLOMATIC AFFAIRS: Trump’s latest expletive-laced outburst at Netanyahu generated predictable predictions of rupture. The record suggests otherwise.

The haredi parties may garner enough support from Netanyahu and the Likud to pass their childcare subsidy bill. But it may prove a hollow victory.

As Baharav-Miara warned of efforts to weaken democratic institutions, the system she was defending was in the process of rejecting her objections to one of Netanyahu’s most sensitive appointments.