Blatant racism by three Israeli pols, including one allied with the leftwing party Meretz, has stymied the effort to knock Netanyahu out of the premiereship. Sadly, American liberal Zionists are too busy pushing a “progressive” slate to the World Zionist Congress to denounce the racism among their allies. magine if a Democratic Party politician refused to work with black leaders?

A New York Times article finally covers the racism in Israeli politics, but it is still biased. It quotes 6 Israeli Jews, but only 2 Palestinians. And it repeats Netanyahu’s charge that the Palestinian Joint List “includes lawmakers who support terrorism”— without giving any of the 15 Palestinians a chance to respond to the libel. 

“There is no life, no existence for the Israel left and even center without the partnership with the Israeli Arabs” — a J Street expert interprets the rise of the Palestinian Joint List as the only real resistance to Netanyahu’s racebaiting.

Among the factors that drove the Joint List’s record 15 seats in this week’s election, and a 16-point increase in voter turnout from Palestinian citizens of Israel from the April 2019 election, was the proposal to transfer Palestinian citizens of Israel in the so-called ‘Deal of the Century.’

Netanyahu was quick to declare victory Monday, but a fractious anti-Netanyahu coalition is quickly cohering – and Netanyahu has now gone full Kahane. “The Arabs are not a part of this equation. This is the people’s will.”

The New York Times repeats hateful charges by Benjamin Netanyahu that the Palestinian Joint List includes “supporters of terrorists” and “terror supporters.” But no one on the Joint List gets the chance to respond!

The big surprise of the Israeli elections was the lead that Likud got over centrist Blue White, 36 to 32. ALthough just short of a right-wing majority for Netanyahu’s bloc, the lead spells hope for Israeli rightists out from the deadlock of the past year.

Israel’s third election inside a year shows the rightwing continuing to gain ground. This is what Jewish nationalists want. A society governed by an authoritarian leader, no matter how corrupt. Just so long as there are no Arabs anywhere near power. The only hope politically is the burgeoning Joint List of Palestinian parties, which reject apartheid and discrimination.

Just imagine the outcry if the New York Times completely ignored the existence of black and Latino voters in its analysis of the U.S. elections? But the paper continues to practice electoral apartheid in its coverage of Israel.

Benny Gantz plays into Netanyahu’s racist attack, and says he will refuse to have the Palestinian Joint List as participants in a government, preferring the rightwinger Liberman, as if the math makes sense. It doesn’t. Gantz needs the Joint List. He spurns Palestinians because of primal Israeli Jewish fears that by welcoming the other into the Zionist community, Jews will want to leave the fold.