Netanyahu needs to win the elections to continue hiding his role in October 7th

There are only a few weeks left until the Israeli legislative elections scheduled for October 27, elections that will determine the country's future for the next four years, and it seems difficult for there to be significant changes in the dynamics of the century-old conflict with the Palestinians. During the long campaign underway, we are witnessing a continuous evolution of attacks between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the opposition leaders; a bellicosity that will continue to grow until the polls open and that periodically reaches intense isolated clashes.

During the campaign, Netanyahu's behavior during the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, has been brought to the table. Three years have passed since the massacre of 1,200 Israelis and the Prime Minister continues to prevent the creation of a state commission to investigate what happened that day and the errors that were committed.

Netanyahu insists on creating a governmental commission that he would control, compared to the state commission demanded by the opposition, which would work under the independent supervision of the Supreme Court. At first, Netanyahu was in favor of the state commission, but he quickly changed his mind, thinking that it is not what best suits his interests.

This debate is at the forefront of the campaign and will surely not be resolved in one direction or the other until after the election results are in. If the opposition wins, there will be a state commission, but if Netanyahu wins again, it will definitely be governmental, that is, more susceptible to being manipulated by the government.

This could be the main change if the opposition were to win. It should not be forgotten that, ideologically, a part of the opposition is in tune with Likud, even if it does not support the figure of Netanyahu. This means that if the opposition wins, there will be no quorum to advance in the litigation with the Palestinians.

Lack of international pressure

The resolution of the conflict depends exclusively on strong pressure from the international community. Last week, the United Kingdom penalized imports of products made in Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, an isolated measure that is far too mild to have repercussions.

Western countries should act together in this direction, as happened in apartheid South Africa. What black South Africans did not achieve during decades of protests and struggle, two years of international sanctions achieved.

Unlike apartheid South Africa, in Israel the problem is that the President of the United States, Donald Trump, is not on the required wavelength to resolve the conflict. This means that, whatever the result of the October 27th legislative elections, everything will depend on the pressure from European countries, and the track record does not make us very optimistic.

It is true that some European leaders have condemned the systematic slaughter of more than 70,000 Palestinians of all walks of life. But words are not enough. A majority consensus is needed to resolve the issue, a consensus that goes beyond words. And if this consensus is slow to arrive, perhaps the surviving Palestinians will soon see themselves displaced and expelled from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, an idea that more and more Israeli leaders are publicly expressing.