Why is Netanyahu back? Benjamin Netanyahu (73) is a controversial politician in Israel. He is currently on trial for corruption, abuse of power and bribery, which he has referred to as a political witch trial. He supports the building of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, and is opposed to a two-state solution in which the Palestinians get their own state. He is the one who has served the longest as prime minister in Israel, a total of 15 years. Now he seems to be back, after a short stay as an opposition politician. The final election result gives Netanyahu’s coalition 64 of the 120 representatives in the national assembly Knesset, according to the Jerusalem Post. One reason Netanyahu is making a comeback is that he has many loyal supporters who vote for him no matter what he does. Many of these believe, like Netanyahu himself, that the charges against him are wrong. Throughout the election campaign, he has hammered home the message that he is the only one who can bring security and stability to the country, and restore national pride. It has struck home with many voters. But he has been dependent on seeking support from the extreme right wing to secure power. Benjamin Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime minister in Israel overall. Photo: RONEN ZVULUN / Reuters Who are the parties that support him? The incoming Israeli government will be the most far-reaching ever. In order to gain a majority, Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party cooperates with the ultra-Orthodox parties Shas and United Torah Judaism. These are primarily concerned with religious rights. Also in the coalition is the ultra-nationalist alliance The Religious Zionist Party, which is led by Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir. These have received a lot of attention for their extreme attitudes. The latter has been an open supporter of the far-right Kahane movement, which was previously labeled a terrorist organization by the United States. Ben-Gvir often refers to Palestinians as “terrorists” and has several cases of violence and threats against him. He has spoken loudly about deporting “disloyal Israelis”, and as a lawyer has defended settlers in several court cases. He himself lives in an illegal settlement outside Hebron in the West Bank. The lawyer wants to change the country’s legal system, and take more control over the Supreme Court by being able to appoint judges. He has also talked about changing the legislation so that conditions for which Netanyahu is charged will no longer be punishable. A rabbi casts his vote in Bnei Brak outside Tel Aviv. Photo: MENAHEM KAHANA / AFP Why cooperate with the far right? In the past, Netanyahu has believed that Itamar Ben-Gvir was not fit to sit as a minister in an Israeli government. Now he has turned around. But a series of feuds with former allies in recent years have limited his ability to build coalitions. It has tied him closer to the far right. – He is a pragmatic politician and finds alliances that can give him power, says Jørgen Jensehaugen, researcher at Prio. The religious Zionist party consists of two extreme parties that formed an alliance to get over the barrier. Now they have become Israel’s third largest party, and young Orthodox Jews in particular seem to have voted for them. According to an analysis by The Israel Democracy Institute, Jewish voters in Israel have gradually become more and more right-wing in recent years. Itamar Ben-Gvir is a controversial figure in Israel. Photo: MENAHEM KAHANA / AFP What does this mean for Palestinians? It is expected that the new government will pursue a tough policy against Palestinians, both in the West Bank and Israel’s own minority, Palestinians with Israeli citizenship. What is absolutely certain is that a two-state solution will become more and more difficult, and especially with such a government. For Palestinians in the West Bank, one can imagine that the situation will get worse now that the settlers have got a government party on their side. But regardless of who is in government, the expansion of the settlements has taken its course in recent years. news has been in contact with Al Haq, one of the Palestinian human rights organizations that was branded a terrorist by Israel a year ago. They do not believe that the election will lead to any radical change politically, but believe that the biggest change is happening within Israeli society. Jørgen Jensehaugen at Prio emphasizes that if the most extreme opinions of Ben-Gvir are to be taken seriously, we are talking about extreme measures such as deportations. In the election campaign, however, he moderated somewhat. He then spoke of the urgency of setting up a “ministry to encourage migration”, to convince Palestinian Israelis to leave the country. It is difficult to know how much free rein Benjamin Netanyahu will give Itamar Ben-Gvir and his like-minded people. But they must probably get some victories, as thanks for bringing him back to power.
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Four questions and answers about Benjamin Netanyahu’s political comeback – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
