After twelve years of government Benjamin Netanyahu has ceased to be prime minister of Israel1. The parliament approved the formation of a new government with the conservative Naftali Bennett by 60 votes in favor and 59 against. This change marks the end of two years of political crisis with two elections for which Netanyahu could not obtain sufficient support to form a government and a third that led to a failed coalition government. A change of government that however does not produce any hope of improvement for the Palestinian population.
For these fourth elections a broad front was built from a disparate range of parties with ideologies from the far right to the center-left whose only common goal was the expulsion of Netanyahu from power. Despite the recent bombings in the Gaza Strip with more than 200 dead people among the Palestinian population the former prime minister was perceived as the protector of the Jewish State among the population of Israel2, and despite his attempts to generating fear by calling the new government the “extreme left” finally failed to prevent right-wing nationalist Naftali Bennett from being sworn in as prime ministerafter agreeing to share power with the centrist Yair Lapid.
A glance at this coalition shows that it will not make a substantial difference to the Palestinian situation. Apart from the fact that their ideological differences predict a very short life because the only point in common is their rejection of the former prime minister it can be seen that a considerable part of the parties involved have already worked close to the president on other occasions3, From Lapid who was minister of finance in 2013 to the minister of the diaspora Bennett between 2013 and 2019 and at the forefront of defense in 2020. Bennett represents a hard and religious right that does not hesitate to show its contempt for the Palestinians. As an example the new government already launched the first air strikes on the Gaza Strip on Wednesday the 16th4.
Reflecting the situation of the Palestinian people there should be a determined pressure at international level against the continued situation of rights violations, pressure that for now is far from being expected: US President Biden reiterated his nation’s support for Israel5 and the European Union have chosen not to take sides6, calling for an “immediate de-escalation” of the tension between the states and also condemning “Palestinian violence”. The only solution is to reverse the tepidity of the states that has abandoned the Palestinian population to its fate through citizen mobilization at the international level.
1 https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-internacional-57457914 2 https://www.business-standard.com/article/international/netanyahu-toughens-stand-as-tension-rises-between-israel-and-hamas-121052000176_1.html 3 https://www.elsaltodiario.com/israel/gobierno-sin-netanyahu-sin-cambio-poblacion-palestina 4 https://www.publico.es/internacional/conflicto-palestino-israeli-nuevo-gobierno-israel-lanza-primer-ataque-aereo-franja-gaza-alto-fuego.html 5 https://elpais.com/internacional/2021-05-12/las-dudas-de-ee-uu-impiden-una-resolucion-de-la-onu-sobre-el-conflicto-en-oriente-proximo.html 6 https://www.elperiodico.com/es/internacional/20210511/clamor-internacional-recrudecimiento-violencia-israel-11716451
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