In Israel, where the elections opened the door to a change of power, the policy of occupying Palestine does not change

Although the elections in Israel on October 27 indicate a significant change that will put an end to the far-right coalition led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the attitudes and statements of the Zionist opposition bloc components, which are expected to form the new government, regarding the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip do not indicate a dramatic break in the policy of occupation and destruction of Palestinian lands.

Described as the most extreme right-wing coalition in Israeli history, the government led by Netanyahu has carried out violent attacks in the Gaza Strip, as well as taking occupation and annexation steps to eliminate the status quo that has been in effect for decades in the occupied West Bank.

The Zionist opposition, on the other hand, opposes the two-state solution and the establishment of the State of Palestine based on the 1967 borders, and gives largely the same messages as the coalition led by Netanyahu regarding the West Bank and Gaza, and does not indicate any change.

Although the two lists representing Israeli Palestinians achieved a historical success, reaching 19 seats and occupying a key position in the Parliament's arithmetic, the categorical refusal of some opposition leaders to take part in a coalition with Arab parties is considered one of the indicators that major changes are not expected in policies towards Palestine and Palestinians.

The occupation gained momentum during the Netanyahu era

The coalition government led by Prime Minister Netanyahu, which includes far-right figures such as Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, who advocate the massive annexation of Palestinian lands in Israel, has caused an unprecedented humanitarian crisis and destruction in the Gaza Strip since it took office in December 2022. In the West Bank, it accelerated the de facto annexation of the region with the expansion of illegal settlements and new road projects.

While successive governments in Tel Aviv paved the way for the establishment of more than 320 illegal settlements and illegal settlements in the West Bank from 1967, when the occupation began, until 2022, the far-right Netanyahu government established 267 more illegal settlements and illegal settlements during its 4-year term. 104 previously established illegal settlements were recognized by Israel during this period. The pace of expansion of illegal and illegal settlements aimed at annexing the West Bank has increased tenfold under the Netanyahu government.

The current Tel Aviv administration's policy of expanding the occupation in the West Bank was led by far-right Finance Minister Smotrich, who frequently called for annexation.

Israel, which has caused the death of more than 74 thousand Palestinians with its attacks on the Gaza Strip since October 2023, has caused great environmental destruction in water resources, agricultural lands and infrastructure in the region. The Israeli army, which frequently violates the last ceasefire with attacks, keeps 70 percent of Gaza under occupation, and the current far-right government has made statements that it will not withdraw from the occupied areas.

West Bank policy of the Zionist opposition

The Zionist opposition bloc, which has 48 deputies in the Israeli Parliament, largely acts in line with the coalition led by Netanyahu, opposing the two-state solution and the establishment of the State of Palestine based on the 1967 borders.

Yashar Party leader Gadi Eisenkot, the strongest name of the opposition tasked with forming a government, has repeatedly emphasized that he is clearly against the two-state solution and the existence of the State of Palestine.

In an interview with The Times of Israel before the elections, Eisenkot said that while he criticized the attacks of Israelis who usurped Palestinian lands in Zones A and B, he supported the establishment and expansion of settlements, which are considered illegal under international law, as long as they comply with Israeli laws.

Eisenkot said of the current far-right government, "The current government allows people to settle wherever they want, that is, even in areas A and B (under the control of the Palestinian Authority), and creates complete chaos." He criticized with his words.

Arguing that if the West Bank is annexed, the demographic majority in Israel, which he defines as a Jewish state, will be lost and new security risks may arise, Eisenkot said, "The Palestinian Authority should be allowed to manage 2.8 million Palestinians. I do not want to manage them." he said.

Naftali Bennett, leader of the Beyahad Party, who entered politics in 2006 as Netanyahu's private secretary, and who for a time served as the President of the Yesha Council, the umbrella organization of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, is a member of the Beyahad Party. It wants the annexation of Area C in the West Bank, the administration and security of which was left to Israel under the Oslo Accords.

The possible annexation of Area C, which was ultimately envisaged to be left to Palestine within the scope of the Oslo Accords and covers 61 percent of the West Bank territory, coincides with the basic policy of the current far-right government members while effectively eliminating the idea of ​​a Palestinian State.

Our Israel House leader Avigdor Liberman, one of the representatives of the anti-Netanyahu right-secular wing, advocates territorial exchange in the West Bank that takes into account the demographic majority.

The "Liberman Plan", which was first brought to the agenda in 2004, proposes that illegal settlements such as Maale Adumim, Gush Etzion and Ariel in the occupied West Bank should be annexed to Israel in return for the Wadi Ara region, which includes the city of Umm al-Fehim, where the Palestinian population lives densely, and the settlements of Kfar Kasim and Tayibe, to be handed over to Palestine.

Liberman, who opposed a coalition that included Arab parties representing Palestinian Israeli citizens and supported by outsiders, brought up the idea of ​​abolishing the Palestinian Authority and the Oslo Accords, annexing areas C, and leaving the management and security of areas A and B to Jordan before the October 27 elections.

The proposal, which Liberman calls the "Israeli-Jordanian Confederation", envisages the Israeli army to continue its occupation in the region.

The only party in the Zionist opposition that advocates a two-state solution: Democrats

The Democrats Party in the opposition bloc stands out as the only party, other than the Arab parties, that advocates the two-state solution and the participation of Palestinian Israeli citizens in political processes.

Democratic leader Yair Golan, who says that the annexation of the West Bank will "endanger the Zionist dream and turn Israel into an apartheid state", says that illegal settlements must be evacuated and the State of Palestine must be established.

- Opposition supports in principle attacks on Gaza Strip

Opposition leaders have aligned themselves with Netanyahu's government, supporting in principle the Israeli army's attacks on the Gaza Strip "with the rhetoric of eliminating Hamas".

The opposition's main criticism regarding Gaza in the last 3 years has been that Netanyahu did not sign a ceasefire agreement that would allow the release of Israeli prisoners for his own political future.

Mass demonstrations, led by the opposition, took place for the first time on November 11, 2023, with the participation of thousands of people in Tel Aviv for prisoners in Gaza, and lasted for 2 years and 3 months until January 27, 2026, when the body of the last Israeli prisoner was delivered.

While opposition leaders do not show any meaningful reaction to the deaths of over 74 thousand Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, they largely support the Gaza Plan proposed by US President Donald Trump.