Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu was able to cobble together a 61 vote coalition in the 120 seat Israeli Knesset at essentially the stroke of midnight. The adamant refusal of the Labor Party to join the coalition diminished the significance of Netanyahu’s Likud Party’s commanding victory in the election 6 weeks ago. The coalition is an odd assortment of parties that really do not have much in common, except for the fact that they represent some of the most extreme views in Israel’s polity. Perhaps the most significant alliance was between Netanyahu’s Party and Naftali Bennett’s Jewish Home Party. That alliance resulted in the appointment of Ayelet Shaked as the Justice Minister who is known for her dismissal of a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians. In a Facebook Post during the last Gaza War (since taken down), Shaked posted an essay by the late Israeli writer Uri Elitzur which reads in part:
“Behind every terrorist stand dozens of men and women, without whom he could not engage in terrorism. Actors in the war are those who incite in mosques, who write the murderous curricula for schools, who give shelter, who provide vehicles, and all those who honor and give them their moral support. They are all enemy combatants, and their blood shall be on all their heads. Now this also includes the mothers of the martyrs, who send them to hell with flowers and kisses. They should follow their sons, nothing would be more just. They should go, as should the physical homes in which they raised the snakes. Otherwise, more little snakes will be raised there.”
We will see how long this coalition lasts.
A few posts ago, I wrote about the new T-14 Armata Russian tank, reputed to be one of the most cutting edge weapons developed in recent history. Unfortunately, it suffered a very embarrassing moment in the parade in Red Square. I suspect someone will find themselves in Siberia very soon.
Alan Taylor has compiled some large-crowd photographs taken in China. The large-crowd phenomenon is extraordinary, but the Chinese do a brilliant job of orchestrating large crowds in mesmerizing ways. Some of the photos are strikingly beautiful; others are simply awesome.
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