Summary:
This past Tuesday, April 9th, Israelis headed to the polls to vote for their next prime minister. Though the results aren't officially out yet, Benjamin Netanyahu, the current Israeli Prime Minister of the right-wing Likud Party, will likely remain in office. This makes Netanyahu the longest serving prime minister of Israel, with a record of five terms, leading the country for a decade.
Netanyahu's main rival is Benny Gantz, an Israeli army officer and politician who served as Chief of Staff of the IDF (Israel Defense Forces). Gantz is the leader of the newly formed Blue and White Party (hence the flag of Israel), an overall centrist political alliance.
In a series of final interviews before the election, Netanyahu announced that if re-elected, he would push for the annexation of Jewish settlements in the West Bank, which is still considered illegal by international law. If this happens, however, it could mean an end to the two-state solution and also more unrest in the middle of the conflict. The representation of Israelis in government of the Labour Party, the party that originally made a deal with the Palestinians in the 1990s, also had a record low number of seats in the parliament.
In response to the results of the Israeli election, the secretary general of PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) expressed his disappointment in the representation of efforts for peace attempts in the ongoing conflict between the two states:
Recently, Netanyahu was indicted for charges of corruption. While Netanyahu claims that he is a victim of a political 'witch-hunt', he still faces these allegations, specifically one case of bribery and three for breach of trust. From here, it is officially the Israeli president (Reuven Rivlin)'s choice to choose a candidate best fit and backed by the majority of the parliament. This will be determined in a couple of weeks.
Reaction:
I think that Netanyahu winning this election will make disagreements between Israel and Palestine even deeper and possibly even a final agreement a void destination. Though Gantz didn't explicitly offer Palestine an independent state, he, unlike Netanyahu, has called for moving towards peace with Palestinians, while still maintaining Israel's security. At this point, a strong, mostly right-winged will likely be against compromise.
Connection:
This topic relates to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict we studied in class a few weeks ago. As Netanyahu's beliefs are very right-winged, it will be increasingly harder for Palestine to reach their own statehood if Netanyahu stays as Prime Minister. Though security and stability will remain well in Israel, the relationships with its neighboring people will falter. Steps that were taken before, such as the Camp David Accords or the Oslo Accords, will be harder to emulate again.
Questions:
What do you think will happen to the relations between Israel and Palestine if Netanyahu continues to be prime minister? Is there still hope for peace?
Why do you think that some of the Israelis voted for security rather than peace?
Will there ever be a prime minister that is either left-winged or centrist in Israel?
Additional Resources:
CNN
I think that the relations between Israel and Palestine will most likely stay the same, also the hope of peace will probably not happen. If Netanyahu were to be the prime minister for five terms and has not gotten anywhere, both peace and relations between Israels and Palestinians will not change. I believe that some Israels would rather vote for security rather than change is because they are afraid of change. In the Israelis point of view why have stuff changed if you already have everything you need and want. Also change might make things even worse for themselves, and could make the whole situation decline even more. I think that the left and right wing parties are very similar to democrats and republicans, and that eventually yes there will be a left-winged prime minister in Israel. However I think this time Netanyahu will win the election because he has 65 of the 120 chairs in the Knesset, which is a little more than half. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-47876539
ReplyDeleteKris Nguyen
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ReplyDeleteThe fact that Netanyahu was elected for a 5th term suggests that there will be a narrow potential for peace between Palestine and and Israel because Israel will retain Netanyahu's radical influence. Additionally, this suggests the idea that most Israelis share the same extremist mindset, they elected Netanyahu despite accusations of fraud bribery. In this case, I believe the Israelis not only voted for security, they voted for comfort. Many of the citizens have grown accustomed to Netanyahu's rule and many of his policies have become common practice. A new leader that focused on peace and unity between Palestine and Israel would bring about radical changes in the social, political, and economical climate - a factor that makes many of the Israelis uncomfortable. However, I believe that there is a possibility that Israel will elect a centrist or even a left wing prime minister. As seen in this election, HAARETZ reports that Netanyahu won by a single point (https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/elections) meaning that the Israeli population is demonstrating some shift towards more progressive views.
ReplyDeleteLike last week, I can't credit you if I'm unsure which Kayla you are.... :(
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ReplyDeleteIf Netanyahu becomes prime minister, there will be an even deeper divide between Israel and Palestine. Their relationship is already highly strained, violent, and volatile with the internationally recognized illegal Jewish settlements in West Bank. Annexation is taking this illegal act a step further in the eyes of the international and Arab communities. This is make their relationship even more volatile and strained. I think that some Israelis voted for security rather than peace because security is a short term necessity for them while peace is a long process which does not ensure anyone's security on either side. Since there has been much violence and many people die on either side due to Israel and Palestine's deep division, the Israeli's probably prioritized security more.
ReplyDeleteI think that the relations between Israel and Palestine will become much worse if Netanyahu becomes prime minister, and that peace is not possible as long as Netanyahu is still in power. Since Netanyahu has promised to annex West Bank settlements and seems to be against a two state solution, the Palestinians will never negotiate with them for peace. Netanyahu also does not seem to want to negotiate with the Palestinians either, and seems to wish to have all of the area as officially for Jewish. In order for peace to be achieved, they would need to be willing to compromise, which it does not seem Netanyahu is willing to do. I think people voted for security over peace because they are scared of all the violence from opposing groups and wish to feel safe. However, I think that if they can achieve peace, they will have their security since tensions and violence would go down. With Netanyahu, I believe that violence might instead go up due to him angering more Palestinians and possibly other Arab groups. If the charges against him are true as well, people could have voted for him possibly due to positive coverage he bribed news agencies to have of him, although I think it is most likely more to do with the people being scared of the Palestinians and wishing to live safely with the land for them. (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/28/world/middleeast/benjamin-netanyahu-indictment.html)
ReplyDeleteI think that the relations will remain much the same between Palestine and Israel after the reelection of Netanyahu. He has been in office for such a long time that his ruling style has become part of regular life for both the Palestinians and the Israelis. However, I doubt that peace will be possible under the rule of Netanyahu. He has held his position of power for such a long time that he had the opportunity to create peace in the region multiple times, but he has not made any large moves as of yet, which leads me to believe that he will not make any attempts in this specific term. Also, Netanyahu promised that if he was reelected that he would annex the Gaza Strip. This would anger many Palestinians, and could possibly lead to more unrest. Many countries see the Israeli settlements in Gaza Strip as illegal, but if the region were annexed, then it could also lead to outside intervention in order to designate the region for only the Palestinians. According to the history of Netanyahu's rule, he will focus on the security of the Israelis, and do whatever he can to keep them safe. Many people like this kind of protection because they are not worried about the threat of the Palestinians and they can live their lives fairly normally. Also, people are more likely to vote for a leader who values security than one who wants peace. Security is much more concrete, and it is much easier to obtain than peace. The stronger group will be more secure, and with a powerful leader, it will be even easier to remain in control. In order for peace to occur, both sides must be willing to compromise, and if the other side won't compromise, then the country with the election will be weaker than if they chose the security leader, and peace will not have been achieved. In times like this, people may fear for their lives, which may lead to dramatic actions in order to protect themselves or their families. With a more security based leader, people do not have to worry about problems like this, which allows them to live their lives without thinking about being attacked. In order for a leftist leader to be elected, the candidate will have to be very sure of their plan for peace and be strong in their beliefs of security and power. It might be difficult for a leader like this to be elected, but eventually there will be some form of peace in the region. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/04/netanyahu-wins-support-enter-israel-government-formation-talks-190416181907275.html
ReplyDeleteI think it is possible for Israel to have a left or center-wing prime minister. Given the outcome of Tuesday’s election, with the Blue and White party having only one less seat in the Knessent elections as the Likud party, it appears possible that more people in Israel may want peace over Netanyahu’s right wing extreme claims. In fact, I think that his newest set of claims, in attempts in winning over the radical right wing, may have scared off some people from voting for him, given the almost equally divided Knessent. In addition to the more even change to the legislative committee, I think that Netanyahu’s most recent campaign “promises” hold threats to the Arab nations, which will make ultimate peace harder to achieve. With irrational claims come possible long lasting grudges from Palestinians and Arabs. Overall, it will be more difficult to create peace with Netanyahu as PM, but there is never no hope. (https://www.thenation.com/article/israeli-election-extremism-netanyahu-palestinians/
ReplyDeletehttps://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/10/world/middleeast/benny-gantz-israel.html )
Erika-
DeleteI agree with the fact that Netanyahu becoming prime minister would impede the peace attempts that others are trying to pass to the government. I see your point where more Israelis are trying to vote for centerist government roles, but I still believe that this will be a hard problem to solve as Netanyahu has been prime minister for a long while. Hopefully steps will be taken from the centerist parts of the government to solve these problems.
In my opinion relations between Israel and Palestine will continue to be strained if Netanyahu is re-elected to be the prime minister. If Israel was under Gantz, there is still hope for peace because “Gantz has called for pursuing peace with the Palestinians while maintaining Israel's security interests”. (https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/elections/israel-s-gantz-claims-election-victory-over-netanyahu-1.7087481). This is good for both Israel and Palestine as security and peace would both be accomplished. I believe that some Israelis are choosing security over peace because of the trauma the Holocaust had placed on the Jews, “Underlying it all is the ever-present trauma of the holocaust. They leave out their own role. They rationalize and downgrade the cruelties of the occupation” (https://ethicalfocus.org/the-israel-palestinian-conflict-each-sides-contrasting-narratives/).
ReplyDeleteI feel that a centrist/ left-winged president isn’t in the near-future for the Israelis. The Israelis have a more rightest track record and seeing that for the past decade it has been very consistent can only foreshadow the most probable outcome is the re-election of Netanyahu. The rightest views seem to lean towards a more defensive take on the conflict. This can give you some insight as to how the majority of Israelis feel about resolving the issue. They are scared of course. It is completely reasonable that they’d take a more defensive stance as there has been so much violence. Although, I am a believer in peace, I also understand that it’s a lot more dangerous and complicated in these circumstances. Especially seeing that this conflict has gone on for so long and has had many turns, both sides have some reason to feel any sort of defeat and exhaustion seeking peace.
ReplyDeleteI believe the status quo will remain in Palestine after the re-election of Netanyahu. Since 1996 when Netanyahu served his first term, he has shown his contempt towards the Palestinian people and their struggle. Personally, I believe there is still hope for peace but either way you look at it it’s a win, lose situation. One thing must go, Zionism, or the Palestinians. To answer your second question, I believe that some Israelis feel that the persecution of Jews throughout history and today (on a smaller scale) gives them the right to occupy an entire people and fail to abide by the Geneva Convention of which they are a signatory. This includes basic human rights in water, traveling, fishing etc. As long as the Israeli are living comfortable and luxurious in their settlements, they will continue vote for security because settlers are aware of their intrusions. By creating a race-based system with apartheid like practices, Israel has enjoyed their “security”. And to answer your last question, there has been a left winged/centrist Israeli party which was in the early/mid 90’s under Yitzhak Rabin who was assassinated by an Israeli in 1995. Shortly after, Netanyahu party won the election and served as Prime Minister. With that being said, in the future I am hopeful for a leader of Israel that is actually advocating for peace by abiding to international law.
ReplyDeleteIf not Netanyahu remains PM, there will only be as much hope for a two-state solution as there is truly now- nearly none. As it stands, Israel is going to remain as long as other nations turn a blind eye towards all its terrifying actions and as long as the U.S. maintains its support for an upside-down "country." The Israelis voted for security rather than peace because it allows them to safely live in their echo chamber of occupation and delusion. Not a single Israeli wants to face the fact that their "nation" was the last governing body to reject South African apartheid after all the other countries voiced their opposition to the apartheid in South Africa. Even from a perspective of international law not being a definite idea that many people want it to be, it's difficult to look at the Israeli state and act like this obvious discriminatory government is acting in any correct or appropriate manner. The moment we tie one's religious beliefs to having a racial identity is when there's truly no nearly no way to solve something. If as Katelin mentioned, it's that hard for Israel to maintain a left-centrist leaning PM, then it will nearly never happen and people simply need to step back and look at the conflict for what it is: Blatant discrimination by religious beliefs and resultant apartheid policies.
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