New Israeli govt must tread with care

Mr Benjamin Netanyahu’s return as Israel’s Prime Minister for the sixth time, this time leading a coalition with far-right parties, has caused some unease both at home and abroad. The new government’s political agenda could exacerbate the conflict with the Palestinians and jeopardise the long proposed two-state solution, it is feared. The greatest point of worry is a provocative clause in the coalition agreement struck between Mr Netanyahu’s Likud party and his ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox Jewish allies. It centres on a government commitment to advancing and developing settlements across Israel. Controversially, this includes the West Bank, where some 2.5 million Palestinians live alongside more than 500,000 Israelis who inhabit settlements considered illegal by the majority of the international community. There are also some 100 “outposts”, which are small settlements built without government authorisation across the West Bank, which Mr Netanyahu has agreed to legalise retroactively. Such moves can destabilise the fragile peace in the Middle East. The tensions may easily ripple into South-east Asia, where the Palestinian cause has had resonance.

Also at risk is Mr Netanyahu’s goal of expanding peace deals with Arab states, including Saudi Arabia. As part of the US-brokered Abraham Accords that he engineered in 2020, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco had established official ties with Israel motivated by shared concerns over regional rival Iran’s growing nuclear ambitions, as well as the obvious synergies between Arab and Israeli economies. But progress could quickly unravel if the new government, under pressure from its coalition allies, overturns delicate prayer arrangements at the contested Al-Aqsa mosque. On the domestic front, some flashpoints are already visible. The government’s positions on LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) rights, racism and the country’s minority Arab population have sparked protests over fears that the Jewish homeland’s secular political traditions could be undermined. However, Israel remains a democracy and a beacon of political hope in the region.