POWER struggle is emerging after last month’s elections in Israel resulted in no party securing the requisite numbers to form a government. While the Zionist state’s president has asked former military chief Gadi Eisenkot to form the government, his chief foe, caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, will try every trick in the book to block his rival’s ascent to power. Yet, it should be realised that regardless of who comes to power, the lives of Palestinians under Israeli occupation are unlikely to change for the better.
No good can be expected from Mr Netanyahu, the architect of the Gaza genocide, while Mr Eisenkot is also no friend of the Arabs. Interestingly, Palestinians living in Israel have emerged as potential kingmakers, with their parties having the votes to propel either man to the prime minister’s office. They are unlikely to support Mr Netanyahu, which means his rival could emerge as the next prime minister.
That would be no cause for celebration either. While Mr Netanyahu is unabashed in his contempt for Palestinians, Mr Eisenkot couches the same sentiment in more veiled terms.
Yet on certain matters, even the latter is clear in his prejudice.
For example, while he said there is a need to rein in Jewish extremists in the West Bank, Mr Eisenkot also boasted that he could ‘destroy’ Hamas within 18 months. His stance on the twostate solution is also deeply troubling. He has publicly said that ‘no Palestinian state will be created’. Instead, he envisions the Arabs living under Israeli military rule, with the Palestinians having only municipal powers. The choices before Palestinians living in Israel, or under its occupation, therefore, are grim. Little will change for them whoever becomes the next prime minister.
The violence and apartheid they face on a daily basis will continue, unless someone in the Israeli political establishment has the courage to recommit to the two-state solution. At this point, the possibility of this happening is non-existent.