Israel: The Obnoxious Netanyahu [Video]
Benyamin Netanyahu has been asked to form a government in Israel.He lists Iran as the biggest threat to Israel. His tough stand on Hamas might also complicate peace negotiations with Palestinians.
Al Jazeera's Clayton Swisher reports on why the US may find it difficult brokering Middle East peace with Netanyahu as the Israeli PM.
Source: It's official: Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu has been formally chosen to cobble together a right-wing cabinet of settlers, ultra-Zionists, racists and warmongers.
Devoid of the fig leaf that Kadima's participation might have lent such a dysfunctional government, Netanyahu and his new partners will face no internal obstacles in trying to implement their wildest plans.
As they get on with unchecked settlement expansion, murder, collective punishment and other various crimes, only one thing will stand in their way: reality.
What a pity it will be to watch Netanyahu try to implement his and his allies' outlandish agendas - and what a joy it will be for Israel's enemies.
If he and his partners get their way, Israel, long incorrectly praised in the West as the region's "only democracy," will soon begin to show the world an uglier face.
Christian and Muslim citizens of Israel, many of whose families have lived in what they consider the Holy Land since the time of Christ, will be required to either pledge their loyalty to the "Jewish state" or leave.
Risky wars will probably be waged on Gaza and Lebanon, but these conflicts - just like the preceding ones - will not go as planned and the Israeli military will lose even more of its vaunted status.
Moreover, Netanyahu will in all likelihood swiftly return to his old habit of alienating Israel's friends.
Even Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak once admitted the Israeli nationalist leader made him "very, very, very exasperated."
Jordan's King Hussein, who at one point ceased all contact with the former premier, openly accused him of betrayal and trying "to destroy all that I have worked to build between our peoples."
And who can forget how the Americans talked about him after his last stint as premier? Former White House staffer Aaron David Miller described in his book how President Bill Clinton reacted to Netanyahu's habit of lecturing foreign leaders:
"Who the fuck does he think he is? Who's the fucking superpower here?"
Former White House spokesman Joe Lockhart described him as "one of the most obnoxious individuals you're going to come into - just a liar and a cheat." Surely President Barack Obama will have even less patience for Netanyahu's attempts to obstruct a peace settlement.
After committing all of these crimes and burning all of these bridges, what chance will the Jewish state have for long-term survival?