Netanyahu Land Grab to Hold Power

Running in Israeli politics, Benjamin Netanyahu plans to occupy the Palestinian territory in the Jordan valley. The author is concerned that the Palestinians will be imprisoned under military rule, and will not be respected as a State. Because of these concerns, the author disagrees with Netanyahu, and with Trump, who supports him.
Common Facts
Review Info (3)
First Published: 09/16/2019 08:39:16 pm
Last Updated: 11/30/-0001 12:00:00 am
Content (12)
Benjamin Netanyahu has plans to annex "Palestinian territory in the occupied West Bank."
Netanyahu could win the Israeli election next week.
Netanyahu is a Likud leader.
Israel exchanged rockets with two Hamas outposts.
The Israeli military is busy on Israel's western flank, not its eastern one.
Missiles can vault the Jordan valley.
In the 1967 war, Israel seized the West Bank from Jordan.
Knesset is the national legislature of Israel.
Mr. Netanyahu has Donald Trump's support.
Trump's key Middle East officials include his ambassador to Israel, son-in-law, and former special envoy.
The settler movement builds housing in the West Bank for Israeli Jews at odds with international law.
Israel ruled over Palestinians for 52 years.
Opinion (29)
Netanyahu wants to "seize the bread basket of the Jordan valley."
Netanyahu's annexing plans are illegal under international law.
If enacted, Netanyahu's plans would "make peace impossible in the Holy Land."
Netanyahu is unbothered by the illegality of his plans.
Netanyahu is unbothered by the lack of peace-seeking in his plans.
Netanyahu refuses to "recognize the Palestinian right to nation self-determination and statehood."
Netanyahu "framed his land grab as a defensive measure."
Because of this, the Jordan valley is not sufficient protection against an Arab invasion or guerrilla infiltration from the east.
In 2001, during peace talks with Palestinians, Israeli security officials suggested using the Jordan valley for offense.
These officials said that if Israel's peace treaty with Jordan was violated, the valley provided able means to "take action."
Israel's recent offensive strikes outside its borders might explain resurfacing security arguments.
Israel's politics have become so warped.
The perversion of Israel's politics is seen by how the two opposing parties – Blue and White – were incensed, not by the idea of taking the Jordan valley, but by Netanyahu not crediting them with thinking of it first.
"The Jordan valley may not be the strategic asset it once was."
However, it is an undisguised importance in Israeli politics.
"A Palestinian state was always thought to border Jordan."
The outcome of Netanyahu's election is immaterial since it is "hard to see a Knesset that would block a land grab."
Donald Trump has destroyed the United States' role as an impartial mediator.
Trump "rashly recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital."
Trump "endorsed the illegal seizure of the Golan Heights."
"Trump has cut off humanitarian aid to Palestinians."
Trump's key officials support the settler movement.
Like Trump, Netanyahu is prepared to "sacrifice almost anything on the altar of domestic politics."
Netanyahu dismissed this occupation as nonsense.
Consequently, millions of Palestinians will end up "in segregated enclaves in the middle of the West Bank."
These Palestinians will have no "real political rights" and be "under separate legal and education systems."
"They will be dirt poor and under military occupation, with their movements curbed."
"How would the country reconcile a permanent occupation with its democratic ideals?"
Israel would not be "building peace," but "constructing a giant open prison."
Article Info (4)
Date Published: 09/11/2019 01:47:00 pm
Date Accessed: 09/13/2019 05:37:00 pm
Article Author: N/A
Content (43)
Jaffa is a Palestinian city in Israel.
Days before the national parliamentary vote, Jaffa was excited with "election fervor."
Jaffa was absorbed into Tel Aviv municipality after 1948.
The Arab Joint List is an electoral alliance of four Palestinian parties.
Campaign posters for the Joint List are seen across the city.
Joint List's main candidates "adorn street lamps and apartment buildings."
Joint List's slogan is "Our unity is our strength."
Joint List's slogan is "plastered across shop windows and balconies."
The state of affairs is now a far cry from six months ago.
Earlier, four parties were allies: Hadash, Taal, Balad, and the United Arab List.
Six months ago, this alliance broke into two competing blocs.
Both blocs of the alliance fared poorly in April's election.
The percentage of population that voted fell from 68% to 49.2% in April.
The upcoming election is on September 17, 2019.
However, the Joint List regrouped for the upcoming election.
Israel's Prime Minister is Benjamin Netanyahu, head of the rightwing Likud party.
Palestinians are citizens of Israel.
Ahmed al-Tibi is head of the Taal party.
Using his own nickname, Benjamin Netanyahu adopted the mantra "Bibi or Tibi."
However, no voter-fraud charges were brought against a party or individual.
Netanyahu tried and failed to pass a bill allowing cameras inside polling stations.
Aymen Odeh is head of the Hadash party.
Odeh is also a leader of the Joint List.
Odeh denounced Netanyahu's statements.
Amin is a 21-year-old student.
Amin also said, "Even if it doesn't succeed, at least we make our voice heard."
Sama is a medical student in Tel Aviv.
Even so, some Arab voters feel "disillusioned by the political process and may boycott the vote altogether."
Michel al-Rahib is a bookshop and cafe owner.
Rahib said he thought a lot about whether or not to vote.
Palestinian citizens of Israel include Muslims, Druze, and Christians.
Palestinians make up 20% of the population.
Palestinians compensate for more than 900,000 of nearly 6 million eligible Israeli voters.
Most Palestinians vote for the Joint List.
Sami Abu Shahadah is running Balad's slate.
Shahadah told Al Jazeera that Israel's society is almost divided in half.
Shahadah claims that if 65% of Palestinians vote, Netanyahu will be out of office.
Benny Gantz is Netanyahu's main challenger.
According to the latest opinion polls, Gantz will receive many Israelis' votes.
Gantz is leader of the centrist Blue and White party.
Gantz leads many other rival parties.
Gantz leads the far-right Yisrael Beiteinu party.
Gantz leads the left-wing Democratic Camp party.
Opinion (21)
The fall in percentage explains why the blocs fared poorly in the election.
The Joint List hopes to replace Netanyahu with their own leaders on September 17.
Those behind the Joint List say Netanyahu's policies and incitement against Palestinians could encourage more people to vote.
This, Joint List says, would strengthen the alliance.
Tibi said, "Netanyahu's language [against Palestinian citizens of Israel] is unacceptable. It makes us – Arab parties and our voters – want to bring Netanyahu down."
Netanyahu used this mantra to discredit Jewish Israeli parties to the left of Likud by telling them to get along with Palestinian parties in order to govern in unity.
Recently, Netanyahu accused his rival party of significant voter fraud last election.
Netanyahu claimed Balad wouldn't have passed the "electoral threshold without fraud."
"Netanyahu also accused his rivals – including Palestinian parties – of trying to steal votes."
Netanyahu's Facebook page warned that "Arabs want to destroy us."
The bill allowing cameras inside polling stations is contentious.
Observers say Netanyahu's motive in this bill was to intimidate Palestinians and lower the voter turnout.
Odeh called for "an end to this racist and dangerous incitement … against the Arab population," the local media reported.
Some Palestinians, especially young people, say Netanyahu's "incitement" and "racist language," instead of intimidating them, has encouraged them to vote.
Amin said Netanyahu's racist speech provokes them to vote in order to resist him.
Sama, similar to Amin, says the List's reunification has "boosted her motivation to vote."
Sama said that when cameras were set up at the polling stations in April, she felt no point in voting.
However, Sama told Al Jazeera, this time it made her want to challenge Netanyahu and vote, though many were still disillusioned.
Rahib said he honestly thinks voting for the List does nothing for his community, but there's no alternative.
Therefore, the entire Palestinian vote could significantly effect the electoral outcome, providing they all participate.
Because of Israel's equal division, said Shahadah, they have a chance to "get rid of Netanyahu."
Article Info (4)
Date Published: 09/13/2019 12:00:00 am
Date Accessed: 09/17/2019 12:00:00 am
Article Author: Arwa Ibrahim