British FM Cameron: Netanyahu hasn’t ‘comprehensively’ ruled out two-state solution

The Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, 2023 were supposed to have put an end to the wrenching political and social controversy in Israel over the government’s judicial overhaul plans.

Everyone across the political spectrum — from ultra-Orthodox and the fanatical supporters of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the left and the Arab minority — all lined up behind the war effort. And though this sense of national unity is being tested as the conflict drags on, for the great majority of ordinary Israelis, the war effort captured by the slogan “together we’ll win” — now adorns everything from tissue packages to online bank statements — is still sacrosanct.

However, it has become increasingly apparent that under the cover of war, Israel’s far-right and ultra-Orthodox leaders are continuing to pursue their prewar agenda, looking to turn Israel from a liberal, largely secular democracy into something more religious, nationalist and intolerant.

The judicial overhaul itself has been a flop so far. Supported by those who want to help clear the way for a political and social revolution by neutering and politicizing Israel’s justice system, only one of the planned laws ever won Knesset approval. And in January, even that was struck down by the High Court of Justice. Yet this hasn’t deterred the far right or the ultra-Orthodox from pursuing other means to achieve their goals.

One route for this has been the government budget.

The war has saddled the Israeli government with huge costs to aid the army, shore up the economy and fix the damage from the Hamas attack. And as a result, the deficit, as a percentage of GDP, will more than double this year, some taxes will rise and ministry budgets are being cut by 5 percent across the board. But not everyone will be feeling the pain equally.

As part of the agreement that formed Netanyahu’s government in 2022, the ultra-Orthodox, the West Bank settlers and the far right were all showered with unprecedented government funds to benefit their favored institutions and causes. A handful of ministries and government agencies were created for them as well. And though the 2024 budget cut such allocations by close to 30 percent, they still amount to about $1.5 billion.

However, it’s important to note that these specific allocations mainly benefit the ultra-Orthodox, who want to ensure their community grows and prospers on the state’s tab. For the settlers and the far right, the government’s main achievements lay elsewhere.