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JULY 29, 2021 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home
Water Treaties and Ice Cream Skirmishes Israel’s Foreign Policy’s New Stance
BY SHAMMAI SISKIND
O
f the numerous oddities contained in Israel’s current fledgling government, one point that stands out is the rotation agreement penned between the coalition’s two leaders. As per the protocols agreed upon by the multi-faction parliament, Yamina’s Naftali Bennett and the center-left Yesh Atid’s Yair Lapid will switch off between the prime ministership and heading the country’s Foreign Ministry. This came as a bit of surprise to some, considering the marginality of the Foreign Minister position in Israeli politics today. Many would have expected a rotation deal to oscillate between the PM’s Office and the Defense Ministry. Due to the primacy of military matters in Israeli society, the defense minister has always been an extremely presti-
gious role. Indeed, for much of Israel’s early history, it was a tacitly accepted fact that the Prime Ministry and the Defense Ministry would be held by the same person – as David Ben Gurion did for some twelve years. And yet, for this coalition, the two alternate leaders decided to leave former Chief of Staff Benny Gantz of the Blue and White party to run Defense, while Yair Lapid would take charge of foreign affairs. After the coalition’s first two years, Bennett and Lapid will switch roles. The reason for this decision is not merely a competence issue. True, defense matters are not really part of Lapid’s forte but Bennett is more than capable of running Defense, having occupied the role himself less than two years ago. No, the rotation deal was not crafted out of practical considerations only. The primary reason
lies with the major policy aims – and policy changes – the new government seeks to bring to Israel. These changes are already well underway. BIBI DIPLOMACY Truth be told, the less-than-esteemed status of the Foreign Ministry is a relatively new phenomenon in Israel. Over the decades, the position was held by legends the likes of Abba Eban and Golda Meir, as well as more contemporary heavy-hitters such as Ehud Barak and Ariel Sharon. For much of the country’s history, the Foreign Ministry was really Israel’s face toward the rest of the globe and played a central role in the country’s delicate and vital international relations. This largely changed, however, during the twelve-year reign
of Benjamin Netanyahu, himself a former Foreign Minister. Netanyahu made the decision to bring international relations under his personal domain. He made confidant and fellow Likud member Israel Katz the head of the Foreign Ministry, and took an extremely hands-on approach to foreign affairs. Scenes of Netanyahu flying around the developing world, meeting with European allies, speaking before American policymakers, and convincing crowds of dignitaries of the follies of Islamist appeasement and the Iran nuclear deal are all still fresh in the world’s collective memory. By any objective standard, the long-serving premier did an excellent job as foreign diplomat, a fact that (at least in most cases) even his staunchest critics will admit to. Of
