Front Burner

Israel's government moves to the far right

Today on Front Burner, as Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu seeks to maintain a coalition government he depends, in part, on far-right leaders he once criticized. Meanwhile, thousands rally against proposed changes to the Supreme Court.
A person is surrounded by security.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits the scene of a shooting attack in Neve Yaacov which lies on occupied land that Israel annexed to Jerusalem after the 1967 Middle East war January 27, 2023. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun (Ronen Zvulun/Reuters)

Over the past month, Israelis have taken to the streets in massive demonstrations. They're opposed to Prime Minister Netanyahu's new plan to limit the power of the Supreme Court and worry about what that means for minority rights and Israeli democracy.   

Today, we will talk about the make-up of Netanyahu's new coalition government and why that has protestors so concerned. We'll talk about Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir who has been convicted of incitement to racism and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich who has described himself as a homophobe. 

Yair Rosenberg is a staff writer for The Atlantic and he'll explain what's behind the government's shift rightward, what it means for democracy, and how it moves Israelis and Palestinians even further from a two-state solution.