On Friday March 5, between 10,000-20,000 Palestinian citizens of Israel marched in Umm al-Fahm against police abuse and neglect, as months of violence reached a boiling point.
By campaigning for conservative “Arab” voters, Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to suppress the Palestinian vote, by shattering the Joint List, which won a historic 15 seats in the last election and is now polling at only 9.
Israeli politics continue to lurch rightward. The only way to knock out Netanyahu is for Naftali Bennett to join Gideon Sa’ar in opposition, and no room for Palestinians. The Netanyahu opposition would go from left to far right, but at least that way it’s a Zionist coalition with ability to govern, says Amir Tibon of Haaretz.
Analysts say Benjamin Netanyahu’s courtship of the United Arab List goes beyond the its ability to help him form a ruling coalition, pointing to a much more sinister reason for the premier’s efforts to break up the Joint List.
The Never Netanyahu parties in Israeli politics only get to about 50 seats in polls for the March 23 elections, which likely leaves Netanyahu in power because opposition won’t work with Palestinian votes! Netanyahu sees a path to a majority of 61 with a deal he forged between Bezalel Smotrich and Otsma Yehudit, or Jewish Power, a racist fascistic party with Kahanist roots.
Israel watchers are predicting a government openly committed to one “Jewish” state between river and sea, with no interest in allowing even a shadow of Palestinian sovereignty in the occupied territories. Indeed, the Israeli “center” and “left” are shattered, and the possibility exists that the Labor party that founded the state will disappear from the parliament in the next election.
Israeli plans to annex the West Bank are “dead,” says reporter Barak Ravid. That’s a demonstration of the power of Israel lobby organizations in the U.S. to stop the Israeli government. They could do the same thing on unending settlements, if they would just take a stand.
The Joint List is one of the main obstacles to Benjamin Netanyahu’s political survival, and he will do whatever it takes to bring the alliance down. Surprisingly, he might have the help of one of its members to do so.
The PA has lost its trust within the Palestinian community, and the international community is either silent with regards to annexation or complicit. The best chance to stop annexation is through opposition from within Israel led by the Joint List, which can truly bring it to a halt.
All 15 members of the Israeli Knesset’s Joint List have sent a letter to congressional Democrats, calling on them to oppose annexation. “Democrats have a decision to make,” JVP Action’s Beth Miller tells Mondoweiss. “Will they keep wringing their hands and expressing ‘concern,’ or are they going to do something about it?”