Netanyahu promises West Bank crackdown as Israeli election campaign continues

Campaign and crackdown

Israeli election campaigning has resumed with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promising an unprecedented security operation in the occupied West Bank after a deadly shooting. Two Palestinian gunmen shot and killed two Israeli soldiers before the army shot the attackers dead. Hours later, Netanyahu appeared in a flak jacket and promised a major crackdown in the West Bank, which he and his supporters call Judea and Samaria. He also threatened to demolish entire neighbourhoods in Hebron.

The vote is the first since the 7 October attacks and the Gaza war, and is widely treated as a referendum on Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister. He is fighting for political survival. On the global stage, he is widely criticised and has been described as an indicted war criminal, while in parts of Israel roughly half the country sees him as a strong, uncompromising leader, more sinned against than sinner. Some cabinet ministers said they would like the same military campaign in the West Bank that flattened most of the Gaza Strip. Most Israelis disapprove of settler violence, but such calls could grow louder if the right-wing coalition is returned.

Hardline allies and the West Bank

Security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, an extremist settler who was once barred from the IDF for racial incitement, said the Palestinian Authority must be dismantled. He called it a terrorist authority in Judea and Samaria. His party has propped up Netanyahu's coalition.

Violence in the West Bank has risen sharply since 7 October. Several deadly Palestinian attacks have occurred this year, but significantly more Palestinians have been killed by extremist Israeli settlers, and more still by Israeli security forces. Restrictions on movement have increased, with more checkpoints and roadblocks than at any time in the past 20 years. In Masafer Yatta, settlers have besieged a Palestinian family in their home. A Palestinian commuter said a checkpoint delay of about two hours every day left him tired and desperate.

Alternatives and the missing Gaza debate

The man with the best chance to replace Netanyahu is Gadi Eisenkot, a former army chief who lost a son and two nephews in the Gaza war. His party is called Yashar, or Straight, and he is not campaigning on a two-state solution. An unprecedented number of Israelis have flown back to vote in person. One voter said they were bringing both children 'so they can see what is voting' and to support democracy and change the government. In Tel Aviv, people enjoyed a respite from recent wars, while an Israeli airstrike was reported in Gaza despite a ceasefire. Gaza has been largely absent from the election debate.