Grapevine, July 25, 2025: A future theocracy?

He said that the capital, which has speeded up building permits, is attractive to developers.

Lion is a leading advocate for urban renewal, and since he first became mayor, the whole character of the capital has changed. Tall towers have appeared or are under construction in almost every neighborhood, blocking the views of the Judean desert that were once a selling point in Jerusalem real estate.

Lion mentioned that prior to his taking over the reins, there was a constant exodus from Jerusalem, but now people are coming back or moving to the capital from other parts of Israel and from abroad.

As it is, Jerusalem is the most densely populated city in Israel, with a population more than twice that of Tel Aviv. It has also issued more building permits than any other city, and is in the process of issuing many more.

Even without the anticipated demographic increase, travel in Jerusalem is a nightmare and will become more so. Travel congestion is just about everywhere.

Additional light rail infrastructure has begun in some places and will be undertaken in others in October, resulting in the closure of certain roads or stretches of road.

Existing public transport is already overcrowded, and until the new light rail services begin operating, entering a bus will be akin to taking refuge in a sardine can.

On top of all that, many commercial enterprises are closing down because rumor has it that completion of light rail construction will take at least eight years. Shopkeepers who put their hearts and souls – not to mention their money – into their enterprises are furious.

■ THOUGH NOT a city under siege, Jerusalem is a cordoned-off city. Wherever one goes, there are huge areas that have been fenced off while hotels, office towers, and residential complexes are under construction.

In addition, the bulk of the Jerusalem City Council is made up of representatives of ultra-Orthodox parties, and they have already influenced the closure of certain bars and nightclubs that were open on the Sabbath and Jewish holidays.

They are now trying to curtail the Thursday night entertainment at Mahane Yehuda market, which is too close to several yeshivot in the area, and the merry-makers are regarded as a bad influence on the yeshiva students.

All this points to a future theocracy in Jerusalem with ultra-Orthodox real estate developers vying to build the Third Temple.

Given the paucity of land in the Old City, they might attempt to evict one of the Christian enclaves or take over the Tower of David Museum.

Then there will be a fresh, drawn-out debate over the status of the Western Wall.

It may seem preposterous at the moment, but anyone who cares to examine the huge changes that have taken place in the country over the past decade will not dismiss such a possibility.

On Tuesday evening of this week, a Druze delegation led by Sheikh Muafak Tarif met with President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem to request increased Israeli aid for the beleaguered Druze community in Syria.

Calling on all involved to do their utmost to prevent further escalation of violence against Syrian Druze, many of whom are related to Israeli ones, Herzog said: “The Druze community is an inseparable part of the State of Israel and of Israeli society. We must stand by them and protect their sons and daughters, their relatives, and their loved ones.”

■ LEADING FIGURES from across the political spectrum, the IDF, the Israel Police, academics, and various civil servants convened this week at the Israel Democracy Institute in Jerusalem to discuss some of the burning issues of the day.

It is difficult to assess the influence of the IDI, but discussions on subjects that cause opposing legislators to scream at each other in the Knesset are held in a more harmonious and thought provoking environment at the institute.

According to Abbas, “Jewish-Arab relations are stronger than we think. Jewish and Arab citizens constantly give you strength and tell you to keep going,” he said.

“I’ll surprise you – even people who declare they are not on my political side, from the Right, say: ‘Your path is right. Keep going and bring results.’ This allows me to believe that Israeli society as a whole is more complex than we thought.

“The fabric of relations between Arabs and Jews is stronger than we think,” the Ra’am leader said. “And the proof is the event we are in now – all that has happened from October 7 until today has proven that there is civic responsibility in Arab society, adherence to the law, and the pain felt by Arab Israelis, both as citizens and as Arabs. That is why I have one path – and that is to believe that we will succeed in healing the wounds in various aspects.”

Touma-Sliman also called for a new way of thinking about political partnerships, arguing that Arab Israelis shouldn’t be the only political bloc capable of forming a joint list to strengthen the Left and Center: “Everyone talks about the next elections and expects the Arab public to go vote for a Joint List – no matter what – because that’s an instrumental approach that sees Arabs as the backup force for the Left and Center in elections… Why don’t the Left and Center know how to form a joint list? Why should it not be a clear political path? The Arabs need to go in together to save the situation.”

The mystery is that even though his dealings with advisers, ministers, and legislators is well known, people who publicly swore that they would never again serve in a Netanyahu-led government come back like meek little puppies when the prime minister beckons. Some of these people were perceived as very strong, before he set out to crush them.

As far as is known, Netanyahu has not appointed or schooled a successor to take over when he leaves the political stage. The premier will be 76 years old when the next Knesset elections will be held.

He can’t last forever – he is, after all, mortal. Even though his father Benzion Netanyahu lived to the age of 102 and remained mentally alert, there is no guarantee that the younger Netanyahu will do the same.

So why is he so intent on remaining at the helm?

Some might say that it is because he thinks there’s no one better. Others believe that it is in order to drag out his corruption trial for as long as possible in order to avoid conviction.

A third reason could be that having beaten David Ben-Gurion’s record as the longest-serving prime minister, he also wants to beat Shimon Peres’ record of being the longest serving member of Knesset.

Peres was both the oldest member of Knesset and the longest serving. He was an MK at age 83, at which time he had served in 14 Knessets.

Today, Netanyahu is the oldest member of Knesset, and the first prime minister to be born in the State of Israel, though Yitzhak Rabin was born in the Land of Israel. Netanyahu has not yet served in 14 Knessets and is unlikely to, even if Likud wins the next election.

As for his trial, there have been numerous media reports that President Isaac Herzog would be willing to pardon him if he is convicted, but Netanyahu would have to appeal for a pardon and to express remorse. Given his personality, he would have to be extremely desperate to admit his guilt.

Herzog has just under three years in which to complete his tenure. The next president might not be as generous of heart, and could reason that if former president Moshe Katsav, former prime minister Ehud Olmert and Shas leader Arye Deri could go to prison, so can Netanyahu.

The PM would do himself and the nation a favor if he abdicated and asked Herzog for a pardon while the opportunity still exists.