Netanyahu's rivals are joining forces. Can they shift Israel's security policy?

“Two of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s top rivals announced they would join forces in an upcoming election to oust his coalition government, with a focus mainly on domestic issues such as military conscription for the ultra-Orthodox. But on issues like Iran, Gaza and Lebanon, the joint party led by right-wing Naftali Bennett and centrist Yair Lapid is expected to pursue a security posture similar to that of Netanyahu — who heads the most right-wing government in Israel’s history — meaning Israel’s foreign policy would remain largely unchanged. The new party, called “BeYachad” meaning “together” in Hebrew, has not released a formal policy platform. But below is what is known about their positions on regional conflicts, based on recent public comments. Iran Bennett, 54, and Lapid, 62, have staunchly backed Netanyahu’s decision to jointly attack Iran with the US, reflecting broad public support in Israel for the war. At the start of Israel’s aerial bombardment in Iran, Lapid told Reuters in an interview that it was a “just war against evil.” Both Bennett and Lapid have since criticised Netanyahu, 76, for what they describe as a failure to achieve Israel’s main objectives in the war, including toppling Iran’s government. However, neither man has called for a resumption in fighting since the April 8 ceasefire . A source close to their new party described Bennett and Lapid as “hawkish” and “tough on Iran”. They are also “pragmatic and understand the need for diplomatic agreements and the work that happens after the military use of force to achieve strategic goals,” said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe their party’s priorities. Lebanon Bennett and Lapid have also both staunchly supported Israeli military operations in Lebanon while questioning an April 17 ceasefire that has failed to halt fighting between the Israeli military and Hezbollah. Shortly before Israel’s military invaded southern Lebanon in March, Lapid said that Israel must take whatever steps were necessary to protect Israelis. After the ceasefire with Hezbollah was announced in April, Lapid said the only solution was the permanent removal of the threat to northern Israel. Bennett sharply criticised the ceasefire, saying in an April 17 Facebook post: “One can already count backwards towards the next round. Hezbollah began this morning to rebuild southern Lebanon and is becoming stronger with missiles ahead of the next round.” Gaza On the war in Gaza, where Israel continued to carry out deadly strikes despite a ceasefire last October, both Bennett and Lapid criticised Netanyahu for not fully destroying Hamas after the October 7, 2023 attack. In January, Lapid said Netanyahu’s government had achieved the “worst possible outcome” in Gaza, saying that Hamas still has tens of thousands of armed fighters. Hamas retained control of a sliver of territory on Gaza’s coast under the ceasefire. In a Facebook post this month, Bennett said Netanyahu’s policies — including allowing some aid into the enclave after restricting all humanitarian supplies for three months in 2025 — had helped Hamas regain control. “This is with the help of hundreds of aid trucks that Netanyahu’s government brings them every day,” Bennett wrote. Netanyahu has cast Israel’s devastating military assault that destroyed much of Gaza and killed more than 72,000 Palestinians as a success. He has held out the possibility of resuming a full-scale war if Hamas fails to disarm under a US-backed process, something the group has thus far rejected. Palestinian statehood With public opinion polling showing that most Israelis oppose the formation of an independent Palestinian state in the occupied West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, a Bennett-Lapid government would be unlikely to bring a major policy shift on the Palestinians. Netanyahu opposed the establishment of a Palestinian state, and his government accelerated settlement building plans in the West Bank, in what ministers in his government said was part of a bid to destroy any future for Palestinian independence. In 2022, Lapid, who like many in Israel’s political centre and left are not outright opposed to Palestinian sovereignty, said that a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was the right thing to do. When asked by US broadcaster ABC during a 2024 interview why he opposed a two-state solution, Bennett said he believed it would lead to violence against Israelis. On the West Bank , Netanyahu, Bennett and Lapid all spoke forcefully against settler violence toward Palestinians. Such attacks escalated under Netanyahu, who critics accused of allowing settlers free rein to burn Palestinian villages and harm villagers. Netanyahu’s office denied this.

Summary generated from the RSS feed of Dawn Pakistan. All article rights belong to the original publisher. Click through to read the full piece on www.dawn.com.