To those expecting a resumption of a meaningful dialogue process between the Palestinians and the Israelis, Banjamin Netanyahu’s victory in the election yesterday must have come as a rude shock.
The Likud party is expected to cobble together a coalition soon that will once again give the venom-spewing Netanyahu sweeping powers to dictate and manipulate policies, the kind of which have caused much pain and suffering to the Palestinians over the years.
With counting done yesterday, Likud had won 30 seats in the 120-member Knesset, comfortably defeating the centre-left Zionist Union opposition who bagged 24 seats. A united list of Israeli Arab parties came in third.
Pre-poll sentiment indicated Netanyahu would struggle to retain power, but towards the final leg of campaigning he ratcheted up his rhetoric with the stunning declaration that the Palestinians will never have a state of their own as long as he is in power.
The fact that it swung the vote in his favour itself speaks volumes of the difficulties genuine peacemakers will have to endure, besides dealing somewhat of a death blow to the hopes and dreams of the Palestinians.
A Palestinian state was the foundation of Middle Eastern peacemaking efforts for several years, but by abandoning it in one opportunistic masterstroke, Netanyahu has proven that nothing matters more to him than power which, tragically, he can only have by warmongering.
He also promised to go on building settlements on occupied land, a policy that defies the core vision of a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict embraced by President Barack Obama and his Republican and Democratic predecessors.
“I am moved by the responsibility Israel has given me and I appreciate the decision by Israel’s citizens to elect me and my friends, against all odds and in the face of powerful forces,” Netanyahu said during a traditional thanksgiving visit to Judaism’s holy Western Wall in Jerusalem.
But such policies could have repercussions, including deepening rifts with the United States and Europe and potentially emboldening Palestinians to take unilateral steps towards statehood in the absence of any prospect of talks.
Palestinian leaders said a fourth term for the Likud party leader meant they must press forward with unilateral steps toward independence, including filing charges against Israel at the International Criminal Court.
Saeb Erekat, chief Palestinian negotiator in peace talks that collapsed last year, lamented “the success of a campaign based on settlements, racism, apartheid and the denial of the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people”.
Palestinians can expect more invasions, assassinations and general mayhem over the next few years. The tragedy is, nothing has ever changed for them.
