Bibi blows up any prospect for peace

Still in the first weeks of his newly formed government, Benjamin Netanyahu has retained for himself the position of Foreign Minister.    However, the European Jewish Press reported this week that he has assigned to his Interior Minister, Silvan Shalom, the role of top negotiator for peace talks with the Palestinians.   He will replace the more moderate Tzipi Livni.

Shalom is on record as being opposed to Palestinian statehood, having told party activists in 2012 that, "We are all against a Palestinian state, there is no question about it."  In addition, as reported in the Huffington Post, Shalom blocked the water supply to the West Bank town of Rawabi.

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat responded to the Shalom appointment:  “With the dust beginning to settle on the new Israeli coalition government, the face of a new form of racist and discriminatory Israel has been revealed:  Benjamin Netanyahu vehemently leading the charge to bury the two-state solution and impose a perpetual Apartheid regime …” 

The communications director of J Street, the more moderate pro-Israel organization in the U.S., responded:  “Appointing an opponent of two states to manage negotiations with the Palestinians is yet another sign of Prime Minister Netanyahu's expectation that he can successfully defy the international community in this upcoming term. It is up to the Obama administration to demonstrate that he has badly miscalculated.”

Having to rely on far right religious political groups to form his coalition government, Netanyahu can be expected to tilt to the right.   But this egregious slap at the peace process itself is typical Netanyahu provocative behavior.

Still, even Netanyahu responds to the condemnation of the most extreme anti-Palestinian moves, particularly when it comes from Europeans.   He quickly quashed a plan advanced by his defense minister to segregate the buses going into Palestine, when it evoked outraged cries of "apartheid."    But, if the future of Israel-Palestinian peace depends on Netanyahu's having to rein in his own cabinet appointees -- as they have shown just these first few weeks -- the region is in big trouble.

This cannot end well.   The sooner this government fails and they have new elections, the better.

Ralph