Internal and external crises. Where do the policies of the Netanyahu government lead Israel?

JERUSALEM – Many concerns have been raised by the extreme right-wing religious current ruling in Israel, which is evident in Benjamin Netanyahu's government moving towards the final approval of judicial amendments, a fundamental change in the system of government, the consolidation of the Jewish identity of the state, and the promotion of biblical religious teachings in daily life and the system of government.

This government approach, which relies on the extreme religious right, settler currents and religious Zionism, threatens to deepen the rift in internal society, and the conflict will intensify to the point of internal confrontation in light of the expansion of protests led by the Israeli opposition represented by the Zionist left, center and secular liberal current.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's statements regarding the Palestinian people and his outlook for Jordan, as well as National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir's approach to Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa, indicate that Israel is heading towards greater escalation and a wider clash with Palestinian society, and a worsening of relations with neighboring countries, which will increase internal and regional tension and tension, which will be reflected in Israeli society as well.

Analysts believe that the leaders of the right-wing government pose a threat to Israel itself, and this is evident in the statements of Minister Smotrich when he called for the "erasure of the entire Palestinian town of Huwwara", before apologizing under the weight of local and international controversy, as this current represented by Ben Gvir and Smotrich does not recognize the Palestinian people or any of their rights, and encourages their displacement and expulsion.

Ideology rules

Regarding the behavior of the Netanyahu government and its approach towards the Palestinians and Jordan, Israeli journalist Yoav Stern, who specializes in Arab and Palestinian affairs, believes that "this behavior is not a coincidence, but rather reflects the official position of the government coalition, religious Zionism, the Haredim and the settler movement."

He explained that the ruling coalition, which relies on the religious Zionist orientation, does not recognize the existence of the Palestinian people, and is pushing for a Jewish state governed by biblical legislation and the establishment of what it calls the "Greater Land of Israel."

Despite the haste of the Israeli Foreign Ministry to disavow Smotrich's statements for fear of deteriorating relations with Jordan, the Stern confirms to Al Jazeera Net that the developments of things portend an expected crisis in relations between Israel on the one hand, and Jordan and the Palestinians on the other.

Stern attributed the scenario of escalation and worsening of Israel's regional relations to the ideology and beliefs imposed by the coalition parties, both on the map of internal Israeli politics and with the Palestinians and Jordan.

He explained that this biblical religious ideology and judicial reforms crossed all red lines, which pushes America and the European Union to exert pressure on the Netanyahu government - which is consistent and identified with the ideology of Zionism, religion, Haredim and the settler movement - as the repercussions of this government's policy cannot be expected internally and regionally.

Stern stressed that this government aims through judicial amendments to change the system of government in Israel, fortify Netanyahu and cancel his trial, as well as legitimize Shas party leader Aryeh Deri, who was previously imprisoned on corruption files.

These changes contribute to the liquidation of the Palestinian cause, undermine any legislation that obstructs the settlement project, the annexation plan and the imposition of Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, in addition to promoting the idea of a "Greater Land of Israel" at the expense of Palestinian and Arab presence, he said.

The Israeli journalist expects that the government's policies will contribute to changes in the political and partisan scene in Israel, by overthrowing the existing regime, and making fundamental changes in the identity of the state and the system of government.

Stern pointed out that the far-right religious coalition is taking advantage of its rise to power to resolve internal conflicts related to religion and the state, in light of the decline of the left and secular current camps.

In this regard, and with the protests continuing for the third month and the government coalition not going to make any concessions and reject any settlement, Stern believes that Israeli society is heading towards an internal clash, and does not rule out its disintegration, especially if the protests turn into confrontations leading to a "war between brothers" and bloodshed among Jews.

Worried about the future

For his part, journalist Mohammed Khairy believes that what is currently happening in Israel in parallel with the escalation of security tension with the Palestinians can be described as unprecedented at the internal and external levels, as it is clear that the Netanyahu government, right-wing leaders and religious Zionism are seeking - not only to change Israeli policy - but also to change Israeli society and its convictions.

Khairy added – in his speech to Al Jazeera Net – that "fear of the future has become haunting Israeli society, which believes a large segment of it that the right-wing government is seeking a radical change at the level of society itself, by subjecting it through the rule of law to more extreme laws, which effectively threatens the cohesion of this society."

Khairy explained that the new leaders of the Israeli right pose a clear threat to the Palestinian people through the increasing mobilization against them, raising the alert, as well as the continuous directive to increase repression and killings, and perhaps the high rate of massacres in the West Bank, especially in Nablus and Jenin, is a clear example of the policy of this government.

The Israeli journalist pointed out that when Smotrich gave a speech in Paris, while putting the image of the map of Palestine and parts of Jordan on the map of Israel, "he certainly knew what this would provoke, but he was not used to hiding his intention, and he is part of a group that believes that Israel should expand to include much of the territory of Palestine and neighboring Arab countries."

Khairy believes that what Smotrich's ideology and ideology represent reflects the extremism of this government towards everything that is Arab, and its willingness to clash with everyone if necessary, especially since its leaders follow very extremist religious beliefs that are governed by biblical legislation in the "Land of Israel."

The specialist in Israeli affairs believes that this trend poses a real danger to the Palestinian people, especially in the West Bank and Jerusalem, and pushes towards clash and internal disintegration in Israeli society, and perhaps poses a danger to the entire region, and enters Israel into a protracted conflict that is more than just a conflict with the Palestinian people.