2022 Year in Review

A T W H A T C O S T ?
Yair Lapid, a centre-left official
whose government had only been in
power since June 2021, was defeated
by Netanyahu. Since Netanyahu was
told to step down from duties as
Prime Minister, the acting Prime
Minister, Lapid, showed similar
political temperament and policy
priorities to the United States and its
president, Joe Biden.
Lapid facilitated the "Change
Coalition", which many have argued
is the most ethnically and
ideologically diverse Israeli party in
decades.
The United States under Biden
shared comparable policy priorities
with Lapid. One core priority was
ensuring an enduring liberal
democracy, evidenced by Lapid's
time as Foreign Minister, where he
was careful to distance Israel from
illiberal European states. Moreover,
Lapid was willing to call out the
illiberal acts in Russia's invasion of
Ukraine, despite Israel having a
significant monetary interest in
pursuing the contrary.
Lapid is on record for backing a two-
State solution with Palestine. In his
first and only address at the UN
assembly, Lapid stated that "most
Israelis supported the vision of a two-
State solution". A progressive
statement, which is likely to be only a
flicker of hope considering the recent
election's outcome.
C O N C L U S I O N
Fear is one of the greatest motivators
in people, and when fear is used to
mobilise impressionable youth, it can
make a significant impact within
society. The 2021 riots have reignited
the fear of an erosion of the Jewish
identity. The unity government
formation between right-wing and
Arab Islamists further fueled this fear.
The formation is considered a
betrayal by many traditional voters,
which far-right leaders, such as Ben-
Gvir, have used to win contested
political seats. Thus, the West will
likely have to deal with a return to the
norm when it comes to Israeli affairs.
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