The Israeli parliamentary elections will be held on October 27, and about 20 percent of the voters are Israeli Arabs. This group may play a key role in determining the next prime minister, but the election campaigns have particularly neglected issues related to peace between Jews and Arabs.
Neglect of Deep Issues
According to Michael Milstein, a retired Israeli army officer, the election campaign has focused on internal and personal issues, ignoring important discussions such as the relations between Jews and Arabs and the future of Palestinians. This comes at a time when the Hamas attack on October 7 and the Gaza war should have been considered fundamental issues.
Warnings from Arab leaders outside Israel highlight the lack of serious discussion about ending the conflicts. H.A. Helier, a researcher on geopolitical issues, states, "Netanyahu or anyone else, Israelis are on a specific path regarding foreign and security policies."
Lack of Political Solutions
Opposition candidate Gadi Eisenkot, who leads the change bloc, has emphasized Netanyahu's role in the backdrop of the Hamas attack, but has yet to present specific policies to resolve the issues. According to some analysts, the lack of real content in the election programs could be seen as a major problem in this critical election.
Currently, the majority of Israelis support military actions against Hamas, and public opinion regarding conflict with Iran and Hezbollah is similarly aligned. This indicates that any discussion about peace and a two-state solution has been severely affected by the current situation.
Ehud Olmert, former Prime Minister of Israel and a staunch critic of Netanyahu, has expressed concern that fundamental issues regarding the future of Israel with the Palestinians have been ignored. He emphasizes that he has always spoken about this issue if he were to run for office.
However, many analysts believe that even with a change of government, there will not be much difference in policies related to Gaza and peace with the Palestinians. They argue that Netanyahu's current policies will likely continue with any potential alternatives, which may lead to a lack of progress in peace negotiations.
