By Saud Shawwaf
My research explores the effects of Israel’s rightward political shift on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Traditionally, Israeli politics has been divided between left-wing factions, advocating for negotiations and concessions to achieve peace, and right-wing factions emphasizing security and territorial integrity. The rise of right-wing ideologies in Israel, particularly since the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, has fundamentally altered the landscape of Israeli politics. This shift has led to the mainstreaming of previously fringe, radical, and extreme views, characterized by opposition to a two-state solution and support for settlement expansion in the West Bank, along with opposition to social movements and policies that shaped the way Israel is viewed by the West. The current governing coalition in Israel, the most far-right in its history, includes influential figures like Benjamin Netanyahu, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and Bezalel Smotrich, whose policies and rhetoric have significant implications for the peace process. This coalition’s approach, marked by a strong stance against Palestinian statehood and aggressive settlement policies, contrasts sharply with the objectives of international actors advocating for a two-state solution. Understanding this political shift is crucial for analyzing the future of Israeli-Palestinian relations and the broader goal of peace in the region and an end to bloodshed. This research highlights the consequences of Israel’s rightward turn regarding its domestic and foreign policy, and the subsequent impacts on potential peace with the Palestinians.
How is someone like Itamar Ben-Gvir elected to the Knesset, and more importantly, selected as National security minister and given a seat in Netanyahu’s governing coalition? Partly because of rising support for right-wing policies as a reaction to security concerns caused by the violence of the first and second intifadas and the rise of Hamas, but also because of how the Israeli democratic system functions and how coalition governments are formed.
Israel uses a system of proportional representation, where parties gain seats in the Knesset depending on the percentage of the national vote they receive in an election. This system allows small parties to gain representation if they surpass the electoral threshold of 3.25% of the vote. Due to the multiparty nature of Israeli politics, no single party has ever won an outright majority in the Knesset. As a result, larger parties must form coalitions with smaller ones to govern. This often leads to alliances with a wide range of political factions, including far-right parties, to secure a majority. Compromise is an essential part of Israeli democracy as coalition building demands negotiation, collaboration, and the consolidation of power. In the wake of the 2022 Israeli elections, Netanyahu’s Likud party won 32 seats in the Knesset. While having won more votes than any other party, Netanyahu still needed to form a block with far-right factions to win reelection and establish a governing coalition. To reach the 61-seat majority, Netanyahu allied himself with the Shas party, which has previously been a part of governments both on the left and right of the political spectrum, and two other far-right parties: Religious Zionism (a combination of Itamar Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit, Bezalel Smotrich’s National Union-Tukma, and Avi Maoz’s Noam) and United Torah Judaism. The alliance under the Religious Zionism party has been called fascist, racist, homophobic, and sympathetic to terrorism, this is the reason that this government is the most radical right-wing government in Israeli history.
Sources
Cohen-Magen, Gil. MKs Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich at a Religious Zionism party rally in Sderot, Oct. 26, 2022. The Times of Israel, 1 Nov. 2022, https://www.timesofisrael.com/the-anti-netanyahu-campaign-that-seeks-to-hand-netanyahu-a-victory/. Accessed 15 July 2024.
Fitoussi, Olivier. Ben Gvir said to postpone planned Temple Mount visit after sitting down with Netanyahu. The Times of Israel, 2 Jan. 2023, https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/ben-gvir-said-to-postpone-planned-temple-mount-visit-after-sitting-down-with-netanyahu/. Accessed 14 July 2024.
The New Israeli Parliament AFP. France 24, 11 Sept. 2022, https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20221109-israel-president-meets-parties-as-netanyahu-set-to-form-government. Accessed 14 July 2024.