Israel’s government is still in a bind

Israel’s new right-wing government has reached its three-month mark with a lot to show for its brief stint in office. Since it was sworn in on December 29th, several tech companies, the jewels in the crown of Israel’s buoyant economy, have threatened to move abroad. Thousands of officers in elite reserve units of the armed forces have said they will refuse to report for duty. Trade unions and employers have together called for a general strike. And most recently President Joe Biden, the leader of Israel’s most important ally, has openly scolded the government, saying it “cannot continue down this road”.This is a stunning reversal of fortune for Israel’s prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, who returned to office triumphant, after a year and a half in opposition. He has squandered his victory on a radical plan to weaken the powers and independence of the Supreme Court. Yet he failed to anticipate the strength of opposition of swathes of Israeli society. Business leaders, the security establishment, even members of his own Likud party, have jibbed against his plan to remove checks and balances from Israel’s democracy.