Contra mundum

FIVE days after Binyamin Netanyahu’s government was sworn in, his defence ministry on May 19th issued a directive that had the effect of requiring Israelis and Palestinians to use separate buses when travelling from Israel to the West Bank. The ministry called it an administrative and security requirement; but its own security experts said there was no need for it. In fact, the directive is a result of pressure exerted on Moshe Yaalon, the defence minister, by Israeli settlers who say they are being “harassed” by Palestinians on the buses.

The bus plan was roundly criticised by opposition figures and even by some within the ruling party, Likud. Yitzhak Herzog, the leader of the main opposition Labour party, called it “a stain on the face of the nation and its citizens”. A few hours later the prime minister capitulated and told Mr Yaalon to suspend the directive. In any event, the whole affair was a sign of the new government’s thinking, which could soon make Israel’s relations with the wider world pricklier than ever.