The Israel Briefing: US concerned over appointment of Israeli ultranationalist
In this weekly newsletter, Ben Caspit and Rina Bassist round up the biggest Israel stories from the region.
The future government of Benjamin Netanyahu scares not only the Israeli center and left, but also the Biden administration. The Americans remember all too well Rabbi Meir Kahane, from Brooklyn, New York, who founded the ultranationalist Kach movement, later outlawed in Israel.
Ultranationalist Itamar ben Gvir, soon to be a minister in Netanyahu’s new government, was a follower of Kahane in his youth. In fact, last night, Ben Gvir addressed Israelis at a ceremony commemorating Kahane. State Department spokesperson Ned Price called Ben Gvir's participation at the memorial "abhorrent."
More discreet, President Isaac Herzog also expressed his concerns over Ben Gvir being part of the cabinet. Ben reminds us that Isaac Herzog’s father, President Haim Herzog, boycotted Kahane and refused to meet with him. His son, the current president, apparently cannot afford the same political luxury....
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