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Israeli Elections: A New Page for Peace with Palestinians, or More Repression, and More Dispossession?

By Hassan El-Najjar

Al-Jazeerah Editor

September 20, 2020

The September 17, 2019 Israeli elections resulted in two major blocks and a king-maker between them. The first was led by the Kahol Lavan Party, which won 57 seats. This block includes the left of center Kahol Lavan Party, which is headed by Benny Gants (33 seats). It also includes the Palestinian Joint list, which is headed by Ayman Odeh (13 seats), and the two other leftist parties: Labor Gesher (6 seats) and the Democratic Union (5 seats).

The second block was led the Likud Party, which won 55 seats. It includes the right-wing Likud Party, which is headed by Netanyahu (31 seats). It also includes the other three religious parties: Shas (9 seats), United Torah Judaism (8 seats) and Yamina (7 seats).

The Yisrael Beiteinu Party won 9 seats (mainly Russian-speaking voters), which enables its leader, Avigdor Lieberman, to play an important role in forming the coming government, by joining any of the two blocks or by forming a national-unity government with Kahol Lavan and Likud.

Thus, the Kahol Lavan Party is more likely to head the coming Israeli government by accepting Lieberman's condition of a unity government, in an attempt to exclude both the Palestinian Joint List and the Jewish religious parties.

If this is going to be the outcome, it'll be bad news for the persecuted Palestinian people inside Israel and in the occupied Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza, as such alliance is more likely to lead to more aggression, repression, and dispossession of the Palestinian people.

However, the Kahol Lavan Party can head the coming Israeli government by accepting one of the Jewish religious parties, which is possible but less likely. IIf this happens, the Palestinian Joint List will be part of the government, which is more likely to open the door for the resumption of the peace process with the Palestinian Authority.

If this does not happen, then the head of the Palestinian Joint List, Ayman Odeh, becomes the official opposition leader in the Parliament (called Knesset in Hebrew), which entitles him to many privileges unatained before by Palestinian MPs. One of these privileges is receiving top-security daily reports, which is going to be an interesting issue to learn about in the future.

Anyway, this recent Israeli Elections reflected the rising influence of Ayman Odeh and Avigdor Lieberman, as well as their Arab and Russian-Speaking voters. 

Ayman Odeh	Avigdor Lieberman	Benny Gantz and Benjamin Netanyahu

Netanyahu Calls on Gantz to Form Unity Government

Al-Manar TV, September 19, 2019

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for a broad coalition with his main rival after failing to win a parliamentary majority.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, who is tasked with approving a new government, welcomed Netanyahu’s overture.

Earlier on Thursday, Netanyahu called on Gantz to join him in a broad, unity coalition after he said that there was no chance he could form a right-wing government after Israel’s deadlocked election.

With more than 97 percent of the vote counted, the centrist Blue and White party led by Gantz has 33 seats, while Netanyahu’s Likud party is behind with 31.

In a televised appearance, Netanyahu said he had been calling for the creation of a right-wing government but the results of the election proved that will not be possible.

“The people did not fully decide between the two blocs,” Netanyahu said of his and Gantz’s parties.

“Now I call on you, Benny Gantz, we have to create a wide-based unity government today. The people expect from us to be responsible, to cooperate, and that’s why I’m calling on you Benny,” he added.

“Let’s meet today, anytime, to ignite this move.”

There was no immediate response from Gantz or his party spokesperson. However, his office said he was expected to deliver a speech at 2pm (11:00 GMT) on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Gantz said he hoped for a “good, desirable unity government”. But he has also ruled out forming one with a Netanyahu-led Likud, citing looming corruption charges against the prime minister.

https://english.almanar.com.lb/831448

Weakened Netanyahu seeks unity government with rival Gantz, but rebuffed

Reutrers, September 19, 2019

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and Benny Gantz, leader of Blue and White party, attend a memorial ceremony for late Israeli President Shimon Peres, at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem September 19, 2019. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel’s weakened Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu invited his main political rival, Benny Gantz, on Thursday to join him in a broad coalition government but was immediately rebuffed by the former general’s party.

Netanyahu’s surprise offer of a power share was an abrupt change of strategy after failing to win a ruling majority in two elections this year.

Gantz’s centrist Blue and White party emerged from Tuesday’s ballot slightly ahead of Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud, with a final tally expected within days.

In his first remarks since Netanyahu’s call, Gantz made no mention of the prime minister and said he himself would head a “liberal” unity government, shorthand for one that excludes the Israeli leader’s long-time ultra-Orthodox allies.

The process could take weeks.

Gantz left it to Moshe Yaalon, one of his fellow Blue and White leaders, to deliver a strong rejection of Netanyahu, citing looming corruption charges against him.

“The time has come for you to tell Netanyahu, ‘thank you for all you’ve done’,” Moshe Yaalon urged Likud members. “We will not enter a coalition led by Netanyahu.”

Netanyahu said he was “surprised and disappointed” and reiterated his call to Gantz.

“It’s what the public expects of us,” Netanyahu said about a broad government.

Reporting by Jeffrey Heller and Dan Williams, Editing by Stephen Farrell

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-election/weakened-netanyahu-seeks-unity-government-with-rival-gantz-but-rebuffed-idUSKBN1W40OV  

Israel Election Results: Gantz Widens Lead Over Netanyahu With 98 Percent of Vote Counted

Kahol Lavan grew to 33 seats, compared to Likud's 31; center-left bloc has 57 seats, while right-wing bloc has 55

With 98 percent of the vote counted in Israel's election, Kahol Lavan grew by one seat to 33, widening its edge over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party.

Kingmaker Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu party lost a seat, leaving it with eight in the incoming Knesset.

The results give the center-left a slight advantage of 57 seats, compared to 55 seats for the right-wing bloc.

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/elections/israel-election-results-gantz-widens-lead-over-netanyahu-as-98-of-vote-counted-1.7863812  

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Palestinian-Israeli Joint List Gains Seats, as Netanyahu’s Demonization Backfires

Netanyahu is always going on about how anyone who opposes his colonization of the Palestinian West Bank is a racist bigot, but there really is no greater racist bigot than he.

by Juan Cole

Common Dreams, September 18, 2019

While Palestinian-Israelis inside Israel can vote in this election, the some 5 million Palestinians living in the Occupied Territories of Gaza and the West Bank are kept stateless and have no vote. (Photo: Amir Levy/Getty Images)

Benyamin Netanyahu appears to have fallen short in his quest for a majority of 61 in the 120-seat Israeli parliament or Knesset. As I write, his far-right Likud Party is tied 32 to 32 with its center-right rival, Blue and White. Netanyahu campaigned frenetically and acted a little unbalanced during this election season, striking militarily as far afield as Iraq and attempting to suppress the internal Palestinian-Israeli vote by proposing putting cameras at voting booths, knowing that discriminated-against Palestinian-Israelis would therefore avoid coming out to vote. The proposal was struck down. But Netanyahu relentlessly demonized the Palestinian-Israelis as wanting to kill all of the Jewish Israelis (this is not true) and warning that his rival, Benny Gantz, would put Palestinian-Israelis, or “Aravim” as Netanyahu calls them with a sneer– horror of horrors– in the Israeli cabinet (this is also not true).

Holding a value that 20% of the population must be excluded from high political office is called Jim Crow or Apartheid or just racism.

Holding a value that 20% of the population must be excluded from high political office is called Jim Crow or Apartheid or just racism. Netanyahu is always going on about how anyone who opposes his colonization of the Palestinian West Bank is a racist bigot, but there really is no greater racist bigot than he. The problem is that his rivals in the Blue and White coalition at least so far agree with him about this exclusion.

And, of course, while Palestinian-Israelis inside Israel can vote in this election, the some 5 million Palestinians living in the Occupied Territories of Gaza and the West Bank are kept stateless and have no vote.

Although Palestinian-Israelis form roughly 20% of the electorate, they have often played a muted role in Israeli politics. In the last Knesset or parliament, they were down to 10 seats out of 120 , and turnout among them was only 35%. Palestinian-Israeli members of the Knesset or MK’s have also frequently been ostracized and left voiceless or on occasion even expelled for thought crimes.

Early returns Tuesday evening suggested that the Joint Arab List, a coalition of four parties (Hadash, United Arab List, Balad and Ta’al) will improve to at least 12 seats. Few Arab constituencies had been counted at that time, allegedly in part because of extra scrutiny of those ballots by Israeli authorities.

A large Palestinian-Israeli turnout resulted in large part from the extremist racist language directed at them by Netanyahu.

The returns are showing fewer seats for the Joint Arab List than did exit polls, which had suggested earlier on Tuesday that there might be as many as 15 seats for them. Since so few Palestinian-Israeli votes have been counted, though, they could still gain another seat or more.

But another possibility is that Benny Gantz, Netanyahu’s rival, might be able to survive at the head of a minority government that is tacitly supported by the Joint Arab List (or by elements of it, since it may splinter). That is, if Gantz can put together a coalition with 55 seats, and the Joint Arab List votes with that coalition informally, then he wouldn’t be in danger of having his government fall.

Gantz’s problem is the same as Netanyahu’s. It would be easy to get to 61 seats if you could entice both the Haridim (ultra-Orthodox religious far right) and the largely ethnically Russian Yisrael Beitenu of Avigdor Lieberman into the same government. But Lieberman and his party are militantly against the influence of the Haredim and have refused to serve with them.

In any case, Lieberman will decide whether Gantz or Netanyahu gets a chance to try to form a government. He has formed a deep dislike of Netanyahu, but for the completely terrifying reason that Netanyahu has not recently made war on little Gaza. Lieberman has suggested a Yisrael Beitenu / Blue and White / Likud government of national unity, but makes it a precondition that Likud dump Netanyahu as party leader.

Although the Joint Arab List got more seats than Lieberman, they will not be able to play kingmakers, since the Jewish parties ostracize them.

It doesn’t matter much who forms the next Israeli government though, for Palestinians. Both major parties have the same creepy kleptomania when it comes to Palestinian land, water and resources.

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Juan Cole teaches Middle Eastern and South Asian history at the University of Michigan. His new book, The New Arabs: How the Millennial Generation Is Changing the Middle East (Simon and Schuster), will officially be published July 1st. He is also the author of Engaging the Muslim World and Napoleon's Egypt: Invading the Middle East (both Palgrave Macmillan). He has appeared widely on television, radio and on op-ed pages as a commentator on Middle East affairs, and has a regular column at Salon.com. He has written, edited, or translated 14 books and has authored 60 journal articles. His weblog on the contemporary Middle East is Informed Comment.

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2019/09/18/palestinian-israeli-joint-list-gains-seats-netanyahus-demonization-backfires

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