Netanyahu’s Crossroad

Published in El Tiempo
(Colombia) on 19 March 2015
by (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Jessica Fernandez Rhodes. Edited by Helaine Schweitzer.
Against all predictions, polls and the desire of some countries which expected a change after two consecutive governments, the current prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his right-wing party, Likud, prevailed in the parliamentary elections of that country.

Appealing to citizens' fear of Palestinians, to Iran's nuclear development, and even to the growth of the Arab Israeli vote in the Middle Eastern country which prides itself in having the only democracy in the region, Netanyahu reversed projections with unexpected ease, a result which fills the future of the already blocked peace process with Palestinians with uncertainty, particularly when, in a desperate campaign act, he promised that if he won a new term he would not allow the foundation of a Palestinian state.



While Thursday he tried to refine his words, this, of course, was a bomb that detonated within the already eroded trust in the turbulent process and caused the U.S. to threaten to "reassess its options" regarding Israel before the U.N., because the solution Washington has defended is the "two-state" one. Under the excuse of the alliance between the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas movement, which he considers to be "terrorist," 'Bibi' –as he is known in his country– has not done much to overcome the obstacles of the process, while the construction of settlements in the occupied territories, which in theory should be part of the future Palestinian State, advances unabated.



But Netanyahu may be playing with fire. Israel has not had a more loyal ally than the U.S., or more privileged proximity, but the prime minister's attitude bookmarks what may be the lowest point in the relations between both countries in recent years. His rudeness toward president Obama when he addressed Congress without Obama’s consent, his fierce opposition to nuclear negotiations with Iran and his disdain toward the Arab-Israeli vote have not gone down well in the U.S., which now, more than ever, wishes to see in Israel a leader more committed to peace.


Contra todos los pronósticos, los sondeos y los deseos de algunos países que esperaban un cambio después de dos gobiernos consecutivos, el actual primer ministro de Israel, Benjamín Netanyahu, y su partido de derecha, Likud, se impusieron en las elecciones parlamentarias de esa nación.

Apelando al miedo de los ciudadanos a los palestinos, a los avances nucleares de Irán e incluso al crecimiento del voto de los árabes israelíes en el país de Oriente Próximo que se vanagloria de tener la única democracia de la región, Netanyahu les dio vuelta a las proyecciones con una comodidad inesperada y que llena de incertidumbre el futuro del ya muy bloqueado proceso de paz con los palestinos, máxime cuando, en un acto desesperado de campaña, prometió que si accedía a un nuevo mandato no permitiría la fundación de un Estado palestino.

Si bien este jueves intentó matizar sus palabras, esto, por supuesto, fue una bomba que detonó la ya erosionada confianza en el accidentado proceso y que provocó que Estados Unidos amenazara con “revaluar su posición” respecto a Israel ante la ONU, toda vez que la solución que Washington ha defendido es la de los ‘dos Estados’. Con la excusa de la alianza de la Autoridad Palestina con el movimiento Hamás, al que considera “terrorista”, ‘Bibi’ –como lo llaman en su país– no ha hecho mucho por superar los obstáculos del proceso, mientras se avanza sin freno en la construcción de colonias sobre los territorios ocupados, que en teoría deben ser parte del futuro Estado palestino.

Pero Netanyahu puede estar jugando con fuego. Israel no ha tenido un aliado más leal que Estados Unidos ni una cercanía más privilegiada, pero la actitud del Primer Ministro marca la que puede ser la hora más baja de las relaciones entre los dos países en los últimos años. El desplante al presidente Obama al pronunciar sin su guiño un discurso en el Congreso, su oposición visceral a la negociación nuclear con Irán y su desdeño hacia el voto árabe-israelí no han caído bien en EE. UU., que hoy como nunca quisiera ver en Israel un líder más comprometido con la paz.
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