Israel faces the prospect of a U.S.-backed “color revolution” in the middle of its war against Hamas terrorists in Gaza as the opposition backs street protests against government, and a key cabinet minister has demanded new elections.
A “color revolution” is a coup d’état accomplished through mass protests targeting the existing government, elected or not, with the assistance of the media — and, usually, with backing from foreign powers, including the United States.
For the six months since the October 7 terror attack, Israel had seen remarkable unity, with protests — mostly centered in Tel Aviv — against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s judicial reforms — a distant memory.
There were weekly protests in favor of a deal to release the Israeli hostages from Hamas custody, but organizers were careful to steer clear of electoral politics — and the decision to reach a deal was not entirely in Israel’s own hands.
But in early March, U.S. intelligence agencies released an assessment that stated that “we expect large protests demanding [Netanyahu’s] resignation and new elections. A different, more moderate government is a possibility.”
That news emerged just days after war cabinet minister Benny Gantz suddenly visited the U.S. for talks with Biden administration officials. Gantz leads an opposition party that joined Netanyahu’s government in an emergency government of national unity, but he also remains Netanyahu’s main political rival. Gantz reportedly did not clear his trip to the U.S. with Netanyahu beforehand. A few days after the U.S. intelligence assessment emerged, another rival to Netanyahu, Gideon Sa’ar, left Gantz’s party, suggesting the possibility of renewed domestic political turmoil.
Then U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) delivered a bizarre speech demanding new elections in Israel to oust Netanyahu. President Joe Biden backed Schumer, calling for regime change in Israel (and not Iran).
Meanwhile, in Israel, the issue of drafting ultra-Orthodox men into the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) emerged as a political issue, with the left-wing judiciary saying that religious scholars could no longer be exempted from the draft. That decision, in turn, threatened to bring down Netanyahu’s government, as religious parties opposed the draft.
Meanwhile, hostage protests and left-wing political protests began to merge. And last week, a four-day protest began — not in Tel Aviv, but in Jerusalem, with tens of thousands of Israelis demonstrating outside Netanyahu’s office. A tent city — with most of the tents curiously identical — went up at the site, with protesters occupying the area, demanding new elections. Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak — a key figure in leading last year’s protests, who had also called for Israelis to “beseige” the Knesset, or parliament, in February — gave a speech there, demanding “elections now.”
And on Wednesday, Gantz held a press conference on his own, demanding that new elections be held in September.
Notably, Schumer rushed to congratulate Gantz:
FIRST @J_Insider: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer responds to Benny Gantz call for new elections in Israel (September):
Schumer: “When a leading member of Israel’s war cabinet calls for early elections and over 70% of the Israeli population agrees according to a major poll,…
— Josh Kraushaar (@JoshKraushaar) April 3, 2024
Originally, Gantz had criticized Schumer for meddling in Israel’s internal politics. But now he has vindicated Schumer — who is taking a victory lap, and will keep the pressure on.
The political crisis is taking place against the backdrop of growing international pressure on Israel, with the Biden administration opposing Israel’s plans to destroy the last Hamas battalions in the city of Rafa, and with the White House slamming Israel for a mistaken airstrike on an aid convoy.
It is suddenly possible that Netanyahu could be toppled — just as the Biden administration wanted — with unclear consequences for Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza.
In addition, Israel faces growing threats from the north (Hezbollah), the east (terror in the Palestinian Authority-controlled areas of the West Bank, and Iraqi militias), and the south (Houthis), all fueled by the Iranian regime.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, “The Zionist Conspiracy (and how to join it),” now available on Audible. He is also the author of the e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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