Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, the crown prince and prime minister of Saudi Arabia, once was asked why he was spending exorbitant amounts of money on useless items. "Because I can," he replied.
Thus, if you're asking yourself how a bunch of unqualified, extremist, detached-from-reality politicians got to occupy the most important of posts in the current Israeli government, the answer is simple: Because they can.
The agreements made between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a host of Religious Zionist and ultra-Orthodox politicians contain elements, such as capricious law proposals, changes to government structure, corrupt budgetary plans and other commitments that will flip the State on Israel on its head.
So, if you're looking for the winner of 2022 Israeli politics award, it's not Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir or Smotrich. It's Meir Kahane, the ultra-nationalist who served one term in the Knesset before being convicted of terrorism.
No, Kahane was never "right," but "Kahanism" is alive and kicking (unlike Meir himself, who was murdered 1990).
Take for example coalition MKs Orit Strok and Simcha Rothman, posterchildren for a legislative proposal, which stipulates that those who are providing a product, service, or operating a public place will be able to deny said service if it goes against their religious beliefs.
They believe that if the Halacha (religious Jewish law) views homosexuality in a negative light, an observant hotel manager, for instance, is free to expel members of the LGBTQ community from the premises. Or, a surgeon is free to order a gay nurse out of his operating room. Keep in mind, it's not just about the LGBTQ community. This discrimination can also apply to women and members of the Arab community.
Netanyahu's response to all this? He's living in a dream world where the moment his government was sworn in, rainbows of solidarity and understanding crisscrossed the skies, extremist MKs understood the error of their ways and it's a matter of time before their capricious demands scatter like dust after vacuuming the room.
Netanyahu further believes that the Biden administration, the European Union and Saudi Arabia will all serve as convenient scapegoats whenever he has to turn down a radical proposal from one of his more hawkish coalition brethren.
It's not that he has a problem with the demand. He would happily oblige, but fulfilling it would deny Israel the kind of assistance it needs from international allies. Too bad. Maybe next time.
As I've mentioned in my opinion pieces before, the chance of normalization with Saudi Arabia is slim at the moment. Bin Salman wants Israel to convince the Biden administration and his Democratic party to call some favors for the Saudis, which ideologically do not sit well with the White House.
Netanyahu will use that as leverage to turn down proposals from his far-right coalition partners, by saying that in order to balance international requirements, current domestic priorities will have to take a backseat. "But don't worry, it's temporary," he'll say.
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With the Dome of the Rock shrine in the background, U.S. flags fly ahead of a visit by President Joe Biden
(Photo: AP)
That's how the political dance will transpire. The Americans will agree to help, but up to a point, while quietly criticizing Netanyahu and absorbing condemnation from his coalition partners.
But there's a limit. Israel is not a huge priority for the Americans at the moment. There is a recession, the war in Ukraine, tensions with China, COVID resurgence and other domestic woes. As long as Netanyahu doesn't light the Middle East on fire during Biden's time in office, the White House will be content.
What we should be worried about is how the new Israeli regime is starting to look increasingly like the one in Saudi Arabia. Religious fanaticism tends to be even more contagious than COVID. Social media-sanctioned brain washing can only prevent so much.
Netanyahu is kidding himself if he thinks he can tame the extreme voices in his new coalition. His political wheeling-and-dealing might be enough to keep his Likud party members at bay, but it won't extend to Smotrich, Ben-Gvir and their like-minded friends. Their character is different, and so are their political interests.
"Okay," Netanyahu probably tells himself. "If they go berserk, I will fire them. I have fired unruly ministers in the past. The main thing is that I continue to occupy the prime minister chair until the next election ... or until the end of it days."
But, Netanyahu is not the visionary he once was. Things will happen in this government that will be out of his control: laws will be approved, budgets will be passed, the High Court will be neutered, innocent lives will be lost, relations between secular and ultra-Orthodox public will deteriorate, foreign investors will flee.
And why will all of this happen? Well, because they can.