Like the Democrats who went into the streets in their millions the weekend Donald Trump was inaugurated president in January 2017, Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu’s foes clearly intend to act as a “resistance,” rather than a loyal opposition.
Netanyahu and his right-wing and religious coalition partners won a clear majority in the 120-seat Knesset, with 64 seats over the collection of left-wing, formerly right-wing and Arab political parties that ran Israel for the last 18 months. Yet, as is the case in the United States, politics in Israel has become a tribal culture war.
But even if everyone has become inured to a situation in which two sides view each other as not merely wrong, but enemies of decency and democracy, with Netanyahu’s new government set to be sworn in on Thursday, his opponents are playing with fire.
Ever since their defeat became apparent, the “anybody but Bibi” opposition led by interim Prime Minister Yair Lapid has been doing its best to label his successors as “dangerous, extremist and irresponsible.” Taking a page out of the Democrats’ playbook, his camp is claiming that the victors of the country’s democratic elections are intent on "destroying democracy".