Articles
The Left-Right wing dilemma in Israel
By: Laila Ahmed
Introduction:
The rise of popular politics in the early 1930s culminated in the hegemony of the Left, which was the predominant power in Israeli politics from 1933 until 1977. David Ben Gurion was the main figurehead; he retired in 1963. The Left promoted a narrative that idealized the Left’s supremacy in nation- and state-building, but it was primarily pragmatic with a social democratic agenda that stressed the state’s involvement in the economy and culture.
A shift in strategy occurred in 1977 when the elections were won by the right-wing opposition. With the topic of Greater Israel at the center of government and state interest, the administration now shifted towards a free business economy and a new narrative. The clash between Left and Right in Israel was no longer centered on questions of economy and society but rather on external policy. In Israel, the political identification of people is very different from that in the EU, because the main criterion is their attitude towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. You can be a venture capitalist or a neo-liberal in your economic views, but still think that the two-state-solution is the best option for Israel.
Thus, as Netanyahu created the most right-wing government in country’s history, the dominance of right-wing thinkers in Israeli politics is pivotal to how the war has unfolded. But at the same time we have to ask an important question `How much the potential comeback of the left-wing could affect Gaza war?”
Background:
For most of its early history, Israel was dominated by left-leaning, secular politicians. But today, the right is in power. Its politicians represent a movement that uses a religious framework to define Israel and its borders, and that has aggressively resisted a two-state solution with Palestinians. And its government – led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — is waging a war in Gaza which, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, has killed over 30,000 people, many of them children.
The government launched the war in response to the October 7th, 2023 Hamas-led attack that, according to Israeli authorities, killed over 1,200 Israelis with an additional 250 being taken hostage.This is not the first time that tension has erupted into violence. But the dominance of right-wing thinkers in Israeli politics is pivotal to how the war has unfolded. However, a key factor in the way the war has evolved is the prominence of right-wing intellectuals in Israeli politics.[1]
Briefly, Netanyahu forged a coalition and a government with Israel’s most extreme right-wing parties in 2022, including the Likud, which considers a two-state solution to be a catastrophic catastrophe that ought to be avoided at all costs. Remarkably, Netanyahu is against the PA controlling Gaza because Abbas rejects the Holocaust and the PA downplays the events of October 7. But he also thinks the same PA ought to carry on operating in the West Bank. [2]
Right-Wing view on the war
It has been months since the attacks Hamas launched on Israel that shocked the whole world and made Israel start the war against Hamas, which was once regarded as a “strategic asset,” in an effort to stop the establishment of the state of Palestine. At this point, Netanyahu and the right-wing have reverted to their campaign of hatred against the PA and, in essence, to the “conception” that any evil is preferable to the possibility of founding a Palestinian state.[3]
Worth mentioning that, Netanyahu is now spending a historic sixth term as prime minister after winning elections in November 2022. Far-right parties, one of whose leaders was formerly found guilty of anti-Arab xenophobia are members of his coalition. Palestinians were right to worry that Israel’s grip on the occupied West Bank would get stronger under this administration.
Meanwhile, the internationally accepted peace model known as the “two-state solution,” which calls for the creation of an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank alongside Israel and the sharing of Jerusalem as their capital, is rejected by Mr. Netanyahu’s coalition partners. Given broad powers over its affairs, the leader of the Religious Zionism party, which together with two other far-right parties secured the third most seats in the knesset (parliament), wants to see Israel acquire the West Bank.[4]
It appears that the Israeli administration is deliberately delaying the conversation of what will happen in Gaza the day after, which may happen sooner than Israeli officials anticipate due to international pressure. The radicals surrounding Netanyahu think that the war in Gaza offers them a rare chance to eliminate not just Hamas but also Palestinians. Gila Gamliel, the minister of intelligence who has no control over any intelligence agency, wrote an article in the Jerusalem Post about how Netanyahu still hopes to protect his political future and the possible “exodus” of Palestinians from Gaza.[5]
A Revolt in in Tel Aviv
Thousands of people took to the streets of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem over the few weeks in the largest protests Israel has seen since the start of the war against Hamas, a significant challenge to the increasingly embattled leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The fact that Netanyahu and his administration failed to obtain the release of every hostage abducted during the terror incident on October 7 caused anger among demonstrators. Protesters held banners demanding that Israel set up new elections and that the Prime Minister step down. You are a failure, said one poster. Another said, “Impeachment now.
“According to Netanyahu, the ongoing assault against Hamas aims to free the captives, destroy Hamas, and reconstruct Gaza so that no militant organization can ever carry out an attack similar to the one that struck Israel last year, which claimed the lives of nearly 1,200 people.
However, the families of the hostages and the protestors who turned out over the last few weeks think that the Israeli government’s priorities should lie more in the recovery of the hostages than in any military or security goals.[6]
Moreover, Protesters in Caesarea, Haifa, Be’er Sheva, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and other places called Netanyahu a “obstacle to the deal” and vowed to keep going until he gave up his position. Israel’s people will never forget or forgive anyone who hinders a plan to return the hostages to their control.
The Israeli Supreme Court has set a deadline of the earliest possible moment to terminate the exemption of ultra-Orthodox men from military conscription, meaning that Netanyahu’s government is facing its most difficult time since the conflict started. Right-wing religious and secular parties, who support more equitable conscription for Jewish Israelis, are at odds over this issue. Provided that, the ultra-Orthodox parties were to leave the government, the country would be forced into new elections, with Netanyahu trailing significantly in the polls.[7]
The Left- Wing view on the war:
The Hamas attack of October 7, 2023 stifled the few voices on the left advocating for a peaceful outcome to the conflict with the Palestinians. Those who dare speak of occupation are considered traitors. Over the past 20 years, left-wing parties in Israel have steadily decreased. The center-left Labour Party in Israel gained four seats in the Knesset, the country’s parliament, in the most recent election cycle, a sharp decline from the 19 seats it held in 2015.
In the most recent election, the Meretz Party, one of the few left-wing Israeli parties to have a seat for the previous ten years, was unable to receive enough votes to be eligible. Israeli polls taken since October 7th demonstrate the magnitude of the political change. One of the most watched television networks in Israel, Channel 12, conducted a poll in which it was discovered that around one-third of Israelis said they were “moving to the right” in the month following the October 7 assaults, while a much smaller percentage said they were “moving more to the left.” [8]
The administrations of Israel and their treatment of the Palestinian people have drawn harsh criticism from the Israeli Left. Many people expressed their support for peaceful coexistence. The individuals who were massacred by Hamas on October 7th actually originated from the most left-wing neighbourhoods in the nation. Many of them supported the idea that Gazans should have the opportunity to work in Israel again, and many worked with Palestinians and drove patients from Gaza to Israeli hospitals.
Anybody who disagrees with Netanyahu, according to him—including some who genuinely belong to the far right—is a lefty. Politically speaking, there are two left-wing parties: Meretz, which was not elected this time, and Labour, which is a member of the Knesset. Perhaps the next time around, the roles will be reversed. However, a sizable portion of the Israeli populace still has left-wing opinions despite maybe supporting other parties. For instance, some people who formerly supported Labour now support Benny Gantz [of the National Unity alliance]. Although Gantz attempts to project himself as a centrist rightist, a large portion of his supporters may actually hold left-wing views. [9]
Now the rising star in the polls and a potential Netanyahu replacement, Benny Gantz, the former defence minister under Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett, is a part of the emergency government and is largely silent so as not to damage his chances of becoming prime minister.
In 2021, Gantz visited PA Chairman Abbas at his Rosh HaAyin home with the intention of exploring “political horizons,” which at the time many Israelis interpreted as a willingness to engage in talks and recognise the PA.[10]
The voice of the people
The families of the Israeli hostages kidnapped on October 7 and taken to Gaza are the driving force behind the few cease-fire requests that have garnered support with the public. In order to negotiate the return of their loved ones, those families have begged the authorities to put an end to the conflict. The majority of the families have emphasized that they generally support the war effort and believe it is necessary, even though those calls have grown stronger after the Israeli army revealed it had mistakenly killed three captives.
Notably, Israelis have moved decidedly to the right on a number of political issues, including support for settlers in the West Bank, endorsements for far-right politicians, and even the re-establishment of a military occupation of Gaza.[11]
Recently, Netanyahu’s policies triggered oppositions with some critics claim that his desire for political redemption distorts his judgement during the war and splits a country that is trying to pull together.
Other critics have asserted that Netanyahu is motivated to prolong the conflict in order to win back public support through military victories—like the purported Israeli strike on Hamas’ second-in-command in Beirut or in the hopes that time will heal the wounds of Hamas’ onslaught on the country.[12]
Furthermore, A survey conducted in November 2023 by the Mitvim Institute for Regional Foreign Policies found that 27% of Israelis are in favour of a two-state solution. On the other hand, 25% of respondents think Israel should choose to withdraw unilaterally from the West Bank. Out of the respondents, 52% think Israel should stick to Netanyahu’s “conflict management” strategy, 28% favour annexation (none of whom had an answer), and 52% think Israel should break away from the Palestinians either unilaterally or through an agreement, similar to what happened in the Gaza Strip in 2005. [13]
Future of the Government after Gaza War
Netanyahu — who’s served longer than any other Israeli leader, after 17 years in power — has found a formula for success. He creates a compelling political message, plays to his base of nationalists, and sets his opponents and rivals against each other.Biographer for Netanyahu Mazal Mualem stated, “He is a politician at every moment of his life.” “Bibi believes he has a chance all the time.”
Nevertheless, Following the horrific attack on October 7 by Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to be nearing the end of his term. The attack’s devastation and the breaches of security that allowed it to occur under his watch seemed to be too much for him to handle, even though he had a reputation for being the ultimate political survivor.[14]
The polls sampled opinions on who should take responsibility for the Hamas attack and feelings about how well the country’s leaders are prosecuting the war. According to opinion polls, around 75% of Israelis support early Knesset elections and demand that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu step down in light of the current conflict in the Gaza Strip.If elections were held right away, both polls indicated that the existing government would be overthrown.
In the Kan poll, 45% said Netanyahu bears overall responsibility for what happened, while 35% put the blame on IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and the head of the Shin Bet security service, Ronen Bar. Just 3% said Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is responsible.
Regarding performance in handling the war, 68% said Netanyahu is not doing well, compared to 29% who said he is, and 3% who said they don’t know.
Fifty-one percent in the Kan poll said that Halevi’s performance is satisfactory, while 41% said he is not functioning well in the war, and 8% said they don’t know.
Among respondents, 22% said Halevi should resign immediately, 54% said he should resign after the war, and 12% opposed him resigning. Another 12% said they don’t know.[15]
Works cited:
1- https://apnews.com/article/netanyahu-israel-gaza-hamas-war-political-campaign-f40539425a1d6b6928a99a9d2e6d977c
4- https://israel.fes.de/e/the-israeli-foreign-policy-index-of-2023-the-mitvim-institutes-annual-survey
5- https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/ksenia-svetlova-the-left-in-israel-after-7-october/
7- https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/19/world/middleeast/israel-oct-7-left-wing-peace.html
8- https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/01/middleeast/israel-protests-netanyahu-intl/index.html
9- Tondo, Lorenzo, and Quique Kierszenbaum. “Tens of thousands of Israeli protesters call for Netanyahu’s removal.” The Guardian, April 2, 2024. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/31/israeli-protesters-call-benjamin-netanyahu-removal.
10- Dagres, Holly. “The Israeli right-wing is determined to prevent any discussion of a future Palestinian state.” Atlantic Council, December 6, 2023. https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/menasource/israel-right-wing-netanyahu-palestinian-authority/.
11- “What is Hamas and why is it fighting with Israel in Gaza?,” April 5, 2024. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67039975.
12- Berg, By Raffi. “Israel’s most right-wing government agreed under Benjamin Netanyahu,” December 22, 2022. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-63942616.
13- Arablouei, Ramtin. “The Rise of the Right Wing in Israel.” NPR, March 7, 2024. https://www.npr.org/2024/03/07/1198908601/throughline-the-rise-of-the-right-wing-in-israel.
14- Berg, By Raffi. “Israel’s most right-wing government agreed under Benjamin Netanyahu,” December 22, 2022. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-63942616.
[1] Arablouei, Ramtin. “The Rise of the Right Wing in Israel.” NPR, March 7, 2024. https://www.npr.org/2024/03/07/1198908601/throughline-the-rise-of-the-right-wing-in-israel.
[2] Berg, By Raffi. “Israel’s most right-wing government agreed under Benjamin Netanyahu,” December 22, 2022. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-63942616.
[3] “What is Hamas and why is it fighting with Israel in Gaza?,” April 5, 2024. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67039975.
[4] Berg, By Raffi. “Israel’s most right-wing government agreed under Benjamin Netanyahu,” December 22, 2022. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-63942616.
[5] Dagres, Holly. “The Israeli right-wing is determined to prevent any discussion of a future Palestinian state.” Atlantic Council, December 6, 2023. https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/menasource/israel-right-wing-netanyahu-palestinian-authority/.
[6] https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/01/middleeast/israel-protests-netanyahu-intl/index.html
[7] Tondo, Lorenzo, and Quique Kierszenbaum. “Tens of thousands of Israeli protesters call for Netanyahu’s removal.” The Guardian, April 2, 2024. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/31/israeli-protesters-call-benjamin-netanyahu-removal.
[8] https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/19/world/middleeast/israel-oct-7-left-wing-peace.html
[9] https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/ksenia-svetlova-the-left-in-israel-after-7-october/
[10] https://www.timesofisrael.com/gantz-pa-president-abbas-meet-at-defense-ministers-home-in-rosh-haayin/
[11] https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/19/world/middleeast/israel-oct-7-left-wing-peace.html
[12] https://apnews.com/article/netanyahu-israel-gaza-hamas-war-political-campaign-f40539425a1d6b6928a99a9d2e6d977c
[13] https://israel.fes.de/e/the-israeli-foreign-policy-index-of-2023-the-mitvim-institutes-annual-survey
[14] https://apnews.com/article/netanyahu-israel-gaza-hamas-war-political-campaign-f40539425a1d6b6928a99a9d2e6d977c
[15] https://www.timesofisrael.com/poll-71-think-netanyahu-should-resign-either-immediately-or-right-after-war/