Israeli settlement expansion and the displacement of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank are likely to persist regardless of Tuesday’s election outcome, with Benjamin Netanyahu’s main challengers offering little prospect of reversing policies entrenched under his government, the Associated Press reported.
While Netanyahu’s opponents have pledged to confront violent settlers, their proposals would preserve extensive settlement construction and fall short of recognizing Palestinian statehood, the report said.
The consequences extend beyond the composition of the next Israeli government. Settler outposts have enabled the seizure of large stretches of Palestinian land, while displaced communities face destroyed homes and continuing threats that could prevent their return even if some outposts are removed.
“There shouldn’t be any illusions,” said Mairav Zonszein, senior Israeli analyst at the International Crisis Group. “At best, (a new government) would be able to slow down the extremely crazy acceleration that we’ve seen in the last four years of every aspect of Israel’s aggression in the occupied territories and inside Israel itself.”
Displaced Palestinians Denied Return
The report highlighted the case of the Tubasi family, whose displacement from the village of Jalud continued despite an Israeli court order requiring the military to bring them home.
Mahmoud Tubasi, 60, said settlers besieged the family’s house for 19 days before forcing them out in July. They cut access to water and electricity and threatened to “barbecue” the family if they remained.
An attempt to return collapsed when more than 150 armed settlers assembled, climbed the property’s walls and set a vehicle on fire. Settlers later torched the house. The family remains with relatives nearby while settlers continue to roam around their burned home.
“If they wanted to evacuate them, of course, 100%, they can do that,” Tubasi said. “This is an army that fights in Lebanon, Gaza and in Iran — they can’t control 150 or 200 settlers?”
According to the report, Netanyahu’s government has distributed thousands of firearms to settlers, who also benefit from allies within the military and security apparatus.
Outposts Extend Control Over Palestinian Land
The family’s experience forms part of a wider pattern of displacement affecting Palestinian communities across the occupied West Bank.
More than 250 settler outposts established under Netanyahu have provided bases for extending control over surrounding land, particularly in areas inhabited by Palestinian herders.
Attacks on shepherds, the appropriation of water sources and the use of Palestinian grazing land by settlers’ livestock have undermined communities’ ability to remain, the report said.
Dror Etkes, a researcher with the Israeli anti-settlement organization Kerem Navot, estimated that these outposts have brought approximately one-fifth of the West Bank under effective settler control.
Data gathered by Kerem Navot and B’Tselem indicate that at least 127 Palestinian herding communities have been forced from their land since 2023.
“The story is over. There will be no massive dismantlement of settlement,” Etkes said. “It’s now a full and prouder-than-ever apartheid regime.”
Amnesty International and other major rights organizations have also accused Israel of apartheid.
Opposition Preserves Core Settlement Policies
Retired general Gadi Eisenkot, identified in the report as Netanyahu’s most likely successor, opposes Palestinian statehood while supporting limited Palestinian self-rule in areas administered by the Palestinian Authority.
He would permit settlement growth in the approximately 60% of the West Bank under direct Israeli military control, while giving troops and Border Police greater authority to act against violent settlers.
Netanyahu’s opponents have pledged to dismantle outposts but would retain more than 100 settlements legalized by his government, including 44 former outposts, as well as settlements established over previous decades.
Most of the international community considers all Israeli settlements illegal, regardless of their recognition under Israeli law.
Palestinian Statehood Sidelined in Coalition Plans
Eisenkot is seeking a coalition that would exclude Arab-led parties advocating a two-state solution. Potential partners who previously supported Palestinian statehood have agreed to set aside those positions to prioritize removing Netanyahu.
Beth Oppenheim, an analyst at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said political conditions had further restricted debate over Palestinian rights and a negotiated settlement.
“The net effect is that talk of ‘peace’ and compromise has become politically toxic,” she said.
The report also pointed to the limited prospect of pressure from Washington. US President Donald Trump, who endorsed Netanyahu, has long backed his policies, leaving a future Israeli government unlikely to face significant US demands for a change of course.
Source: Associated Press and Al-manar English website