Israeli Right-Wing Parties Welcome and Express Satisfaction with Trump's Victory

Leaders of right-wing parties in Israel, allied with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, believe that Donald Trump's presidency will be "the best opportunity for Israel to nullify the idea of establishing a Palestinian state." According to Israeli media reports on Thursday, November 20, Naftali Bennett, leader of the "Jewish Home" party and senior minister in Netanyahu's coalition government, reacted to Trump's victory in the U.S. presidential election by stating: "It is clear that the era of efforts to establish Palestine has reached its end." The reports indicate that Bennett and other members of his party are also calling for construction in the West Bank settlements and Jerusalem to be "resumed and expanded as soon as possible." Bennett stated that the era of the U.S. government that "persecuted and harassed" Israel over construction has come to an end. Israeli Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat also expressed joy over Trump's victory, referring to him as "one of Israel's most important friends in recent decades," and stated that with Trump in the White House, "Israeli housing in Jerusalem will enter a new phase." These comments reflect both overt and covert anger from Israeli right-wingers towards the Obama administration. The Obama government had issued severe criticisms of Israeli settlements over the past eight years, and even a visit by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden to Israel ended in anger upon hearing news of new construction plans in the settlements. Despite insisting on continuing construction in the territories occupied in 1967, the Israeli government was forced to adhere to some considerations set by the U.S. and the international community, occasionally tactically creating obstacles to the construction requests of Israel's far-right. This is while Benjamin Netanyahu claims to have accepted the U.S. and international community's solution for establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel. Meanwhile, far-right leaders in Netanyahu's government have also urged Trump to fulfill his promise to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, despite the fact that no U.S. administration has recognized western Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Israel gained control over the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the 1967 war; Palestinians, with the support of the international community, seek to establish a Palestinian state in these territories. The Israeli right's demand to "be freed from the idea of establishing a Palestinian state" and "extensive construction in the 1967 territories" coincides with the opportunity presented by Trump's rise to power, while Palestinian leaders from various factions have urged Trump to be realistic and not stand "unilaterally" alongside Israel. According to Al Jazeera, Khaled Mashal, head of Hamas's political bureau, stated in Qatar on Thursday, "The time has come for the U.S. government to rectify its historical mistakes regarding the Palestinians." Mashal said, "Without the rights of the Palestinians, the region will not see stability, and the U.S. must understand that Israel is a heavy political and financial burden on this country." Donald Trump had stated at the beginning of his election campaign that because he is "neutral" in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he can help resolve it. However, Trump's severe criticisms of Barack Obama's policies, and his labeling of Obama as "a great disaster for Israel" in his last campaign speeches, have encouraged the Israeli government and right-wing factions to stand firmly alongside Trump.