While campaigning for reelection, Netanyahu made multiple appeals to Israel’s right-wing, perhaps none more effective than his pledge to prevent the creation of a Palestinian state.
"Anyone looking to establish a Palestinian state today is yielding to radical Islam," Netanyahu told Israel’s daily Maariv in March. "This reality has been created here in recent years. To ignore that [by the Left] is burying your head in the sand."
The plan worked. Netanyahu achieved a sweeping victory, and on Wednesday, he formed a conservative coalition to narrowly maintain control in the Israeli parliament. The stage is set for a series of legislative pushes which could stall Western efforts to halt Israeli construction in the West Bank.
But President Obama, perhaps still a tad upset by Netanyahu’s uninvited pep talk before the US Congress, may already have a plan in place.
According to sources of Israel’s DEBKAfile, Obama has now signaled European members of the United Nations to file a Security Council motion which would recognize Palestine as an independent state.
Senior US officials have already begun discussing the finer details of a fully realized Palestine. Meeting with French officials in Paris last week, they have discussed potential borders and the security arrangements that could be implemented between Palestine and Israel.
Officials also reportedly discussed timetables. One option, should the motion pass, would be to gradually implement statehood. Another would set a strict deadline. If the Israeli government was unwilling to comply with this deadline, it could then face UN sanctions.
Again, all of this is assuming that the UN would vote in favor of a Palestinian state. But according to sources, the White House indicated it was confident the motion would pass with the full backing of Washington.
It’s possible that the play is a political move, a way for the Obama administration to pressure Netanyahu into placing more moderate politicians in his cabinet. If the prime minister diversified his coalition, the motion could be rescinded.
Of principal concern could be Ayelet Shaked of the Jewish Home party. She has come under fire recently over comments which some say calls for a Palestinian genocide.
"This is a war between two people," Shaked wrote in a Facebook post. "Who is the enemy? The Palestinian people."
Shaked has now been appointed Israeli justice minister.
US Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to present the Obama’s plans to Saudi leaders during his visit to Riyadh this week. This could have the added benefit of providing Washington with a bartering chip to convince the Saudi government to agree to a ceasefire in Yemen.
"I am honored to notify you I have succeeded in forming a government," Netanyahu wrote in a formal notice to President Rivlin on Wednesday, after the formation of his coalition. If President Obama has his way, Netanyahu may need to shuffle members of his carefully selected cabinet.
