The upcoming Israeli elections may be the last
Some Israelis fear that the October 27 elections could be the last if the ruling coalition led by Netanyahu returns to power, amid debate over the future of democratic and judicial institutions and settlement expansion in the West Bank. The article conveys warnings from a British writer and an Israeli activist about the erosion of institutional checks.
The occupation state is heading to the October 27 elections amid fears that these could be the last if the coalition led by Benjamin Netanyahu returns to power. The article quotes British writer Jonathan Freedland, in an article in The Guardian, that a number of Israelis he met see the upcoming elections as 'the most important in the country's history,' while some fear they could be the last. Freedland points to a continuous attack over the past four years on the mechanisms of liberal democracy and attempts to weaken institutional constraints on the government, citing calls to revoke the citizenship of Israeli filmmakers over a film criticizing the occupation army's practices in Gaza, and unsubstantiated accusations made by Sara Netanyahu against Yair Golan regarding his prior knowledge of the October 7 attack. The article addresses the future of the judiciary, noting that the courts represent the main institutional obstacle to expanding government powers, amid the ongoing trial of Netanyahu on corruption charges. In the West Bank, it discusses Palestinian Bedouin villages whose residents left following harassment and violence from settlers, and the return of settlements previously dismantled by Sharon in 2005. It quotes Israeli activist Yehuda Shaul estimating the emergence of about 250 new settlements and outposts since 2023. The article concludes that the elections have implications for the future of political and judicial institutions and the path of settlement expansion.