NYJA Statement on New Israeli Government
June 13, 2021
The New York Jewish Agenda (NYJA) issued the following statement:
“June 13, 2021 (New York) — The New York Jewish Agenda (NYJA) applauds the formation of a new coalition government in Israel with Naftali Bennett as the Prime Minister and Yair Lapid as Alternate Prime Minister.
Since our founding in 2020, NYJA has emphasized that as we support a democratic Israel, we did not support many of the policies of Israel’s government, personified by Netanyahu and created to advance his anti-democratic agenda that included the proposed annexation of parts of the West Bank, and interference with judicial independence in order to further consolidate his power.
We remain cautiously optimistic about what the new government can accomplish given the range of ideological commitments of the parties that comprise it. At the same time, in its very first moment, it already has scored a major achievement—removing from power a prime minister who was leading Israel down a dangerous and divisive path, often in the service of his own personal agenda.
The end of the Netanyahu era is by no means a panacea, and Israel has much work to do to address widening rifts in its society. However, this transfer of power represents a necessary start to that work and creates openings and opportunities in the ongoing effort to build a more just and equal society.
On this historic day, NYJA reaffirms our commitment to organizing and reflecting the voices of New York’s liberal, mainstream Jews. Along with our many partners and allies, we will continue actively to support, through our advocacy and educational activities, a just, negotiated resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that upholds and preserves self-determination, dignity and human rights for all Israelis and Palestinians.”
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