Israel's Terminal Case of Election Fever

2 min read

04 November, 2022

This week on The New Arab Voice, we're examining the fallout from the latest Israeli elections and the settler violence that had blighted Palestinian communities in the West Bank during October.

Israelis went to the polls on Tuesday to elect a new parliament, following the collapse of the Naftali Bennett government in June. Once the votes had been cast and counted, the country emerged to find that Benjamin Netanyahu had managed to pull himself back from political obscurity and secure another electoral win.

His next term in office is set to be propped-up by far-right Zionists from the Religious Zionist Party.

Netanyahu's choice of coalition partner has prompted fears that increased political violence and even ethnic cleansing could become genuine realities of his government.

This political violence has already been witnessed during a particularly bloody month for the West Bank.

Gangs of Israeli settlers have embarked on a campaign of violence and destruction. This destructive wave has occurred under the watchful eye, and in many instances, with the direct support and help, of the Israeli army.

This week, we examine what the rise of the far-right means for Israel, what illegal settlers are doing in the West Bank, and what Netanyahu's next term in office might hold.

We speak with Issa Amro (@Issaamro), a Palestinian activist based in Hebron, and the founder of the grassroots group Youth Against Settlements. Also on this week's episode is Haggai Matar (@Ha_Matar), an Israeli journalist and the executive director of +972 Magazine (@972mag).