Saturday, February 4, 2023
What does Israel’s new government mean for Palestinians? | The Stream
In November 2022, Israeli citizens voted in their fifth parliamentary election in less than four years and ushered in the country’s most far-right government ever elected. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is back in the role for a sixth term after securing an alliance between his Likud party and ultranationalist and ultraorthodox parties.
While some view the election as a path to political stability following years of parliamentary turmoil, Palestinians and rights advocates are raising alarm over what this new government will mean for Palestinians living under Israeli occupation, as well as for Palestinian citizens of Israel and those in the global diaspora. Palestinians and critics fear that this new government will not only open the floodgates to the further expansion of illegal settlements but will also embolden already increasing violence against Palestinians.
So far, Netanyahu has noted settlement expansion as a top priority, pledged to annex the occupied West Bank, instructed police to remove Palestinian flags from public spaces and sparked widespread protests in response to proposals that would overhaul the judicial system and supreme court. Top ministerial positions have already gone to those who have pledged to expand illegal settlement and stated open opposition to Palestinian statehood.
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