Right-Wing Parties Claim Credit for Halting Palestinian Statehood in West Bank
Translated & summarized from Now 14 by baba
An article argues that while the Likud party campaigns against a Palestinian state, the practical efforts to prevent its establishment in the West Bank have been led by the Religious Zionism and Otzma Yehudit parties through extensive settlement activity and land regularization.
The story in 4 lines · by baba
- Likud claims credit for opposing a Palestinian state, but other parties did the work.
- Religious Zionism and Otzma Yehudit led practical efforts in the West Bank.
- These efforts included settlement expansion and land regularization.
- The article criticizes Likud for taking credit for others' achievements.
While the Likud party has adopted the slogan "Right or Palestine" for its election campaign, emphasizing its opposition to a Palestinian state, the article argues that the practical work of preventing its establishment in the West Bank over the past three years has been primarily carried out by the Religious Zionism and Otzma Yehudit parties, led by Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir respectively.
The author contends that while Likud provided the government backing and leadership, Smotrich and Ben-Gvir's parties were responsible for the day-to-day actions on the ground. These actions include a historic acceleration in the regularization of young settlements, construction permits, declarations of state land, road paving, and the establishment of farms and outposts that have reshaped the landscape. Crucially, these efforts have dramatically reduced the scope for illegal Arab land appropriation, which the article states was aimed at building a hostile entity.
Specifically, the article highlights the establishment of dozens of new shepherd outposts on strategic open land, the declaration of tens of thousands of dunams as state land, and the approval of construction in E1, a move seen as preventing territorial contiguity between major Arab cities. Additionally, many previously precarious outposts were legalized, existing settlements expanded significantly, and numerous illegal Arab structures were demolished.
The piece asserts that these achievements were not the result of slogans but of tangible actions taken by Smotrich, as head of the Finance and Defense ministries, and Ben-Gvir, as head of the National Security Ministry. The author suggests that the Likud's slogan is accurate precisely because only a right-wing government, specifically one including Religious Zionism and Otzma Yehudit, can prevent the establishment of an autonomous Palestinian entity, as other governments, even those calling themselves right-wing, would yield to pressure for expanded autonomy or a veiled Arab entity.
Despite acknowledging the Likud's importance and its internal opposition to Palestinian autonomy, the article concludes that the party is taking credit for work done by others. It suggests that Smotrich and Ben-Gvir's parties deserve greater recognition for their on-the-ground efforts in preventing the formation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank.