Israel’s Religious Nationalism

On June 19th, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich leader of the extreme right-wing Religious Zionist Party and responsible for overseeing West Bank policy, said that “This is our country, all of it. Does anyone think that Israel will be managed like another U.S. state? I will not appreciate moral preaching from anybody”. 

This came after the U.S. government said it was deeply concerned by the Netanyahu government’s decision that day to build 4,560 new housing units in various areas of the occupied West Bank. This will bring the total Israeli settler population on the West Bank up to 700,000 – leaving little hope for the negotiation of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian issue. 

U.N. Secretary general Antonio Guterres responded in a statement that reiterated his view that settlements are a flagrant violation of international law. They are a major obstacle to the realization of a viable two-State solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace. 

He went on to note that the expansion of these illegal settlements is a significant driver of tensions and violence and deepens humanitarian needs. It further entrenches Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory, encroaches on Palestinian land and natural resources, hampers the free movement of the Palestinian population, and undermines the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination and sovereignty.

Why would Prime Minister Netanyahu decide to go against international law and continue annexing property on the West Bank and thus putting at great risk any ability to negotiate a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? Why would he challenge his U.S. allies in this way and risk alienating Israel’s strongest defender?

There are a number of reasons.

Mr. Netanyahu and his right-wing Likud Party have never really accepted a two-state solution as mandated by the United Nations Security Council and international law. In his view, the Palestinians blew their chances by rejecting past peace proposals and continuing to commit acts of violence against Israel and its citizens. His government questions Palestinian rights to the West bank and rejects a claim to a Palestinian homeland on what Likud considers Israeli territory.

Mr. Netanyahu’s coalition government has given preponderant power to extremist nationalist and religious parties. Both claim that the West Bank is part of historical greater Israel -- the nationalists based on history and the religious parties based on Biblical passages.

In Netanyahu’s view, the Trump imposed Abrahamic Accords have given Israel legitimacy in the Arab world and have rendered the Palestinians powerless to oppose the normalization of relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors. Indeed, the recent rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran does not appear to have made a positive impact on the Palestinian position.

I agree with the Financial Post, that greater dialogue and cooperation between the Saudis and Iranians is positive, yet, despite the planned exchange of ambassadors and an invitation from Saudi King Salman to Iranian President Raisi to visit Saudi Arabia, de-escalation has not happened. 

A tour around the region, from Syria to Israel’s borders to the Strait of Hormuz, indicates the opposite. It is early, of course. The Beijing-brokered agreement is only three months old. But so far, it looks like the Iranians are leveraging normalization to press their regional advantage rather than to diminish tensions. Thus, Israel will continue to be a powerful counterbalance to Iran’s expansionist policies for the Saudis.

As disturbing as is Israel’s swing to the right. Russian President Putin has become a good friend of Netanyahu who appears to be playing the same desire to restore historical “empires” as other autocratic states. Turkey’s Erdogan, Russia’s Putin, and Hungary’s Orban seek to recreate respective 19th century imperial realities as part of their religious-political vision. For his part, Netanyahu seeks to recreate Israel’s biblical power and territory.

Can he succeed? 

It is too soon to tell. Many Israelis have taken to the streets to protest Netanyahu’s shift to the extreme right. Nevertheless, a Rand Poll taken in 2021, reveals that 60% of Israelis across the political spectrum oppose a two-state solution. And a 2021 poll indicates that only 39% of Palestinians support a two-state solution.

Many on the right claim that annexation is essential for the security of Israelis. I find it hard to understand how annexing a territory with 3 million hostile Palestinians can enhance Israel’s security. 

But in the long run, even if Netanyahu is defeated at the polls any time soon, the fact will remain that a two-state solution today exists only in the minds of dreamers, while the reality on the ground is that there is no apparent solution to this impasse.

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Edition: Estefanía Cardeña