Party Time in Israel
Israel’s “Young Turks” have created a new political party, and this week received an important new ally.
Caroline Glick, a long-time writer for the Jerusalem Post (and, of late, Breitbart), is running for a Knesset seat for the new Hayemin Hehadash (The New Right) Party. The party was founded by rising stars Naftali Bennett, Education Minister, and Ayelet Shaked, Israel’s Justice Minister. For what it’s worth, they are the new breed; both look like they could carry lead roles in a James Bond movie.
The pair have left Bayit Yehudi, in order to gain more seats in the Knesset.
For her part, Glick is a media savvy Zionist firebrand.
“’Caroline is a relentless Zionist fighter,’ party co-chairman Naftali Bennett said. ‘With her, we are building today the dream team of the Israeli Right in order to expand the right-wing block – so that Israel can be triumphant again.’
“Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, the party’s other leader, called Glick a ‘a courageous fighter symbolizing the real, pure, conservative Right. She will be a great addition to the Knesset from our side.’”
I met Glick in Jerusalem in 2002 and like anyone else who loves Israel, was impressed by her knowledge and passion for the country. She is a native of Chicago who made aliyah in the 90s and is a talented English-speaking advocate for her country. She is also a fierce Zionist.
(By the way, some of the fiercest Zionists I’ve ever met are women.)
When we talked in the lobby of the Mt. Zion Hotel, overlooking Jerusalem’s Old City and the Hinnom Valley, we were discussing a book deal. Her subsequent writings represent clear thinking on how to proceed with the Palestinians. Her views are somewhat in the same vein as other, rare, transcendent politicians, like Donald Trump. They deal with reality, not political and philosophical theories.
Bennett, Shaked, and now Glick must prove to their constituents that they will not buckle under ideologically and not budge on security issues. As popular as Benjamin Netanyahu is (it’s astonishing that he will be 70 this year!), he doesn’t go far enough for many on the Right, who want to see Hamas dismantled permanently, among other things.
I don’t disagree with them.
Bibi will probably be prime minister as long as he wants to be—hopefully he will be the one to deal with the Iranian threat in a lasting way—but Bennett and Shaked in particular are probably his successors.
This is all good news in my view. It shows that, unlike America, not all politicians are compromisers. Israel’s future is secure because of God alone.
But it appears He might be willing to use a group of Young Turks going forward.