While Netanyahu has betrayed his constituency - the still mainly secular Israeli voter and taxpayer - he has done so because that same voter and taxpayer has permitted him to do so. Unless and until the Israeli citizens take to the streets and demand and end to these filthy little coalition deals, Netanyahu (and all the other Netanyahus waiting in the wings) will continue to sell out their constituencies for the sake of short-term political gains.
The Israeli voter needs to consistently and absolutely demand coalition governments that exclude the ultra-Orthodox parties as a matter of policy and principle. That is the only way to stop this abuse and corruption, at least until such time as the Israeli electoral system is reformed.
"Therefore, the real criticism must be aimed at the one who gave Shas this power, the one who capitulates to it on every issue, the one who gave it control over all the civilian ministries that determine the public's quality of life - the Interior Ministry, the Housing Ministry and the Religious Services Ministry (along with giving the Health Ministry to UTJ) - and thereby enabled it to extort even more, increase its power and harm the nonreligious majority. For as the Talmudic saying goes, "it's not the mouse that's the thief, but the hole [where he hides his cheese]." And Netanyahu is the one who gave Shas the biggest hole it ever had."
- Like a bird that can't fly backward - Haaretz - Israel News (view on Google Sidewiki)
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