By Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D
JERUSALEM — Israel’s relations with the Palestinians are truly messy. But they may last. How long? Who knows?
Except with Gaza, there are no firm borders. Israel’s settlements, much beyond east Jerusalem, spread into the West Bank. Israel also enters the Palestinian areas in order to deal with individuals who threaten Israel or Israelis. Yet Israel and the Palestinian leadership in the West Bank cooperate on matters of security. Largely against groups and individuals who threaten both Israel and the ruling party of the West Bank.
Moreover, 100,000 plus West Bank Palestinians, beyond east Jerusalemites, enter Israel daily in order to work. Also, several thousand come from Gaza. And Israel more or less overlooks others who come through gaps in the fences. When one of those goes bad and kills Israelis, then Israel deals with the gaps in the fences. For how long? Who knows. There are plenty of Israelis who deal in agriculture or industry who welcome “illegal” Palestinian workers. And who put up with the possibility that some will go bad.
Palestinians, as well as Israeli Arabs have lots of weapons. Mostly acquired, either by theft or illegal sale, from the IDF. Every once in a while there is an effort to locate and seize those weapons, but the efforts are not thorough.
All in all, Israel puts up with a substantial chance that individual Palestinians will get violent. They may be spurred on by Palestinian education and propoganda, which remains sharply anti-Israel despite other indications of cooperation.
Israelis also flub the borders between speech and action. The government controls settlement in the West Bank, but political leaders encourage settlement.
In part, this reflects the complexity, or the messiness in Israel’s current government. It spreads from Meretz and an Arab party on the left, across to Gideon Sa’ar and Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on the right, with Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz in the middle. While Israeli political parties are expected to remain united, the reality is that individuals in several of the parties threaten, or vote, against their colleagues and against the government. In part, this is a result of unclear party ideologies. Most are built around the personality and ideas of a leader. An Arab n one or another party demands more goodies for Arabs, and Jews demand less for the Arabs. Currently the government is down to less than a majority in the Knesset, and votes on key pieces of legislation are due, with much commentary on the prospective fall of the government, and perhaps another election.
The mess between Israel and the Palestinians existed prior to the current government. Bibi also dithered, and both engaged and opposed Palestinian interests.
There’s an international side to the mess. The U.S. and European countries generally support the creation of a Palestinian State. President Joe Biden’s expected visit to Israel will come with his meeting with Palestinians, and may include the opening of a Jerusalem Consulate which, in effect, will recognize the Palestinian claim to a piece of Israel’s capital for their own capital.
The Israeli government opposes such moves, and opposes the creation of a Palestinian state. As opposed to a Palestinian area. We’ll see how the details emerge.
Currently we’re not sure that the government will hold. Bibi Netanyahu remains loud, and seemingly on the edge of taking control. His trial continues, with what may be a judicial decision in his favor. But it’s far from over. And while he remains strong, he is not strong enough to create a government. Yet commentators are speaking of a union between Bibi and Gideon Sa’ar. Sa’ar denies it, strongly, but…
Will the Arabs rescue the government? Or will the Jews in the government find a way to move through this crisis, as they have moved through others?