Israel elections: With Netanyahu heading for stalemate, what’s next for Palestinians?
Murtaza Jaffer
Press TV, London
Israelis have voted once again, but exit polls indicate yet more political deadlock. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secured the most seats but still remains a long way off a majority.
Yair Lapid of the centrist Yesh Atid party took the second place with 17 parliamentary seats. He leads a coalition hoping to end the leadership of Netanyahu, however right-leaning parties that side with the prime minister’s politics have gained more seats. The question now is whether they can form a working coalition.
For many, that comes down to this man, Naftali Bennett, the leader of extreme right-wing Yamina Party, which backs the annexation of the West Bank.
His seven seats may prove vital as polls give Netanyahu’s coalition of ultra-Orthodox and far-right allies between 53 and 54 seats. Bennett's votes could give Netanyahu the majority he needs, but the two leaders have been at loggerheads since 2018.
While personal egos and political differences vary, policies towards the Palestinians remained very much a secondary nonissue throughout the campaign, a worrying development after the disintegration of the Arab Joint List party following the last election.
In fact the day before the vote, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh described the election as an “internal” matter for Israelis. In Gaza, Hazem Qassem, a spokesman for Hamas, said the Israeli election seemed to be taking place between the “right and extreme right”. Its therefore no surprise that Arab voter turnout remained significantly low.
This sets a worrying precedent for Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza. With a lack of representation and a continued move to the right, policies that will enact more annexation and entrench apartheid will continue without opposition. Some believe this is in fact by design.
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