RAMALLAH: The prospect of Benjamin Netanyahu returning to power as head of one of the most right-wing coalitions in Israeli history has prompted concern among Palestinians who fear it could be a prelude to an escalation of their conflict with Israel.
More than 100 Palestinians from the Israeli-occupied West Bank have been killed by Israeli forces this year.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said the rise of right-wing parties was “a natural result of the growing extremism and racism in Israeli society, which the Palestinians have been suffering from for years.”
But Palestinians “would not stop their legitimate struggle to end the occupation, gain freedom and establish their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital regardless of the identity of the winners in the Israeli elections.”
He added: “The difference between the Israeli parties is the same as the difference between Pepsi-Cola and Coca-Cola.
“We had no illusions that the ballot boxes in the Israeli elections would produce a partner for peace in light of the aggressive policies and practices that our people suffer from, which do not give weight to international decisions and laws.
“The results of the Israeli elections confirmed that we have no partner in Israel for peace and that the international community must assume its responsibility to implement international resolutions and protect our people after the rise of racist parties to power in Israel.”
The Palestinian leadership has always supported and maintained ties with Israel’s left-wing parties in the hope of a resumption of peace talks.
Ahmed Al-Deek, an adviser to the Palestinian foreign minister for political affairs, told Arab News: “We will determine our position on the upcoming Israeli coalition based on its policies and stances on the Palestinian issue.
“We view with great gravity this emergence of Israeli fascism represented by Ben Gvir and Smotrich, and we consider it one of the expressions of the deep crisis that Israelis are experiencing as a result of the continuation of the occupation and the establishment of the apartheid regime in the Palestinian territories.”
Israeli lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir calls his Arab colleagues “terrorists” and advocates deporting political opponents. In his youth, his views were so extreme that the army banned him from compulsory military service.
Bezalel Yoel Smotrich is a radical right-wing politician who heads the Religious Zionist Party and previously served as a Knesset member for Yamina.
Hamas, which governs Gaza, holds a similar position to President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah on the Israeli poll.
Hamas official Bassim Naiem told Arab News that the results of the election showed the “true face of Israel.”
“Those who showed great sadness over these results or expressed great surprise, locally and internationally, are either naive or politically ignorant, who didn’t read the history of the Zionist movement and project, and if they did, they didn’t understand it,” he said.
Mustafa Barghouti, secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative, said the elections would not change anything because they were taking place between two extremist right-wing groups and in the absence of a true peace camp.
He added that the most troubling thing was that a criminal fascist party headed by Smotrich and Ben-Gvir might get third place, indicating the degree of descent of colonial Israeli society toward racial extremism and the doctrine of ethnic cleansing and apartheid.
Al-Deek said: “There is no power in the world capable of canceling the presence of the Palestinian people on their land and homeland, and they will continue to struggle by all means to confront the occupation until the double standards in international standards are broken.”
Palestinians also expressed anger at the fact that their occupier has held five elections in less than four years while they have not held any since 2006.
Amer Hamdan, a legal activist from Nablus, said on Facebook: “How will we feel about ourselves when we watch millions of Israeli citizens going to the polling stations … and we cannot choose who represents us; neither in the West Bank nor the Gaza Strip?”
Another Palestinian commented sarcastically: “The elections are taking place to choose the best, and as long as the best is currently ruling us, what is the need for elections?”
Another said: “We don’t need democracy, we have perfect leadership, but the problem is that the people are not able to understand them properly.”
Another comment read: “They (Fatah and Hamas) divided it. The West Bank is for the Palestinian Authority, and Gaza is for Hamas, and each side is satisfied with its share.”
Palestinians fear escalation of violence as Netanyahu closes in on victory
https://arab.news/n6sbe
Palestinians fear escalation of violence as Netanyahu closes in on victory
- Rise of right-wing ‘result of growing extremism’ in Israel, PM Shtayyeh says
- Election result confirms ‘we have no partner in Israel for peace,’ he says
Ceasefire with Kurdish-led force extended for another 15 days, Syrian army says
- The defense ministry said the extension was in support of an operation by US forces to transfer accused Daesh militants to Iraq
- The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces confirmed the ceasefire extension
RAQQA, Syria: Hours after the expiration of a four-day truce between the Syrian government and Kurdish-led fighters Saturday, Syria’s defense ministry announced the ceasefire had been extended by another 15 days.
The defense ministry said in a statement that the extension was in support of an operation by US forces to transfer accused Daesh militants who had been held in prisons in northeastern Syria to detention centers in Iraq.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces confirmed the ceasefire extension.
“Our forces affirm their commitment to the agreement and their dedication to respecting it, which contributes to de-escalation, the protection of civilians, and the creation of the necessary conditions for stability,” the group said in a statement.
Over the past three weeks, there have been intense clashes between government forces and the SDF, in which the SDF lost large parts of the area they once controlled.
Earlier in the day, the Kurdish-led force called on the international community to prevent any escalation.
The end of the truce came as government forces have been sending reinforcements to Syria’s northeast.
Syria’s interim government signed an agreement last March with the SDF for it to hand over territory and to eventually merge its fighters with government forces. In early January, a new round of talks failed to make progress over the merger, leading to renewed fighting between the two sides.
A new version of the accord was signed last weekend, and a four-day ceasefire was declared Tuesday. Part of the new deal is that SDF members will have to merge into the army and police forces as individuals.
The SDF said in a statement Saturday that military buildups and logistical movements by government forces have been observed, “clearly indicating an intent to escalate and push the region toward a new confrontation.” The SDF said it will continue to abide by the truce.
On Saturday, state TV said authorities on Saturday released 126 boys under the age of 18 who were held at the Al-Aqtan prison near the northern city of Raqqa that was taken by government forces Friday. The teenagers were taken to the city of Raqqa where they were handed over to their families, the TV station said.
The prison is also home to some of the 9,000 members of the Daesh group who are held in northeastern Syria. Most of them remain held in jails run by the SDF. Government forces have so far taken control of two prisons while the rest are still run by the SDF.
Earlier this week, the US military said that some 7,000 Daesh detainees will be transferred to detention centers in neighboring Iraq.
On Wednesday, the US military said that 150 prisoners have been taken to Iraq.
